


Concern

by CarlaFromCorrie



Category: Coronation Street
Genre: F/M, Fluff, Illnesses, Sex, Smut
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-26
Updated: 2020-11-26
Packaged: 2021-03-10 03:06:51
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 13
Words: 30,599
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27726578
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CarlaFromCorrie/pseuds/CarlaFromCorrie
Summary: The Prequel to Life, how did Carla and Peter meet in Devon?
Relationships: Carla Connor/Peter Barlow
Kudos: 2





	1. Chapter 1

Kidney Disease

It didn’t seem real, not to Carla anyway she never thought something like this would be a reality and when she was sat uncomfortably in front of her now kidney specialist she was shocked that three quarters of her life being a moderate drinker with the odd benders contributed to something more sinister and serious, she was told she would no longer be able to drink and that was something she had to adapt to, something she wasn’t entirely used to. Ever since she moved down to Devon she loathed in self-pity from her split from Nick, drinking copious amounts of red wine feeling guilty for putting such a sweet, kind, innocent man through the result of one of her benders, she knew that guilt would subside in time, she knew that, it always did and the fact that she was away from the street where the worst possible things anyone could imagine became a reality she embraced life in a more positive outlook, going for walks down the coastal path to a small town near her new house.

The house her and Nick were going to share together, yet more things to taint the situation with.

Anyway, she did the walk every day, one of the tips in the leaflets was to live a healthier lifestyle, so she did, she wanted to live at the end of the day, she took walks, ate her five a day sometimes more than that just hoping that it would erase the fact that her body was slowly shutting down in front of her eyes. She was never one for the countryside, or coast, especially the English coast but she embraced her new surroundings as a part of her healthier lifestyle.

She was walking back from the town around mid-day taking her time to take in her surroundings loving the salty sea air fill her nostrils causing them to flare in delight, a welcome difference to the polluted Manchester air her body was normalised to, every Sunday she would stop off at the guest house at the end of where her cottage was to have a coffee to revitalise her energy levels after the two-mile walk, she knew the owner's quite well and the fact that was making friends with some of the locals it reassured her that her decision was right. 

Carla approached the counter looking at the menu above it the counter taking her time to pick out a cake she would possibly like deciding on an iced finger, laughing to herself quietly at the factory worker's remarks in the past, handing over the money to the server who puts an iced finger onto the plate, Carla turning around and being shocked to the bone with a face from the past standing right in front of her.

What was he doing here? She turned around and handed the plate back,

"Actually Gus could I have this to take away?" Carla questions handing the plate back to the server as he nods putting it in a paper bag as Carla makes a swift exit with her takeaway coffee in one hand

"Carla!"

"Peter what are you doing here?" she hisses thinking people would know who Peter was and the gossip mill would be spinning wildly before her expression softens a bit as Peter raises an eyebrow, he could ask her the same question

"What are you doing here?" he quips back as she groans, she really didn’t want to have this conversation

"Just leave will ya!" she snaps before walking off in the direction of her house before stopping to take a breather quickly which gave Peter the chance to catch her up, Carla mentally scolding her body's struggle

"I'm not leaving until I take you for a coffee" Peter demands as Carla scoffs as if he was taking her for a coffee, no way was she going to let him get under her skin

"No"

"Carla I can see something's not right with you…"

"Leave it I mean it, Pe'er" she snaps again walking up the road further, Peter following her as she paused in front of her house sighing at his expression, watching him chew his bottom lip anxiously which made her heart melt, it always did when he did that expression

"I don’t know why you're here-"

"Boat maintenance"

"What?" she replies confused as Peter raises an eyebrow ready to play the sarcasm card

"You know, where boats become unseaworthy so you do them up and fix them-"

"I know that" she snaps rolling her eyes before offering a lopsided smile "You know what I meant"

"You know my friend John, he were a fellow alchy like me, anyway he decided he didn’t need me to work for him anymore so he sent me up 'ere to work with one of his pals"

"I vaguely remember, it's just rather coincidental that's all, you sure no one gave you my address?" she narrows her eyes as Peter smiles glancing around his surroundings not really believing this was where Carla lived, that was if she even lived here, she could've been on a walk for all he knew, but the Carla he knew didn’t walk so he took the assumption that she did live here

"Well it's a very nice road you live on but no…no one gave me your address, as I said, I'm here for business purposes only"

"Right…as you're here for business purposes only maybe I will agree to that coffee" she replies now knowing his true intentions…what harm would it do?

"So which one's your house then?" Peter quizzes as Carla sighs pointing to the house behind her, painted in a cream colour in between two other houses of the same style, one painted a grey colour and the other covered in an assortment of small grit-like stones which were stuck onto the exterior walls of the house

"Never had you down for a country girl, is there something you're not telling me?" Peter questions as Carla shakes her head knowing that there was lots to tell but not having the confidence to know where to start

"People change y'know"

"If you say so…so what brings you down to Devon then?" Peter asks as Carla bursts out laughing thinking how incredulous it was for him to ask her that question as well as replaying the mistakes she made in her life

"What's so funny? It was just a question"

"Us…doing small talk…we never do small talk"

"I could ask you what that was when you were bent over in exhaustion back then if you would prefer-"

"No we're not talking about my sorry life" Carla mutters as Peter grins triumphantly, so there was something up with her, he didn’t want to push her though, having Carla spare some of her time for him was something he would cherish especially as he thought he didn’t deserve it

"Sorry life now eh?" he nudges her "Come on then I bet it can't beat my life"

"Oh everything has to be a competition with you doesn’t it?" she groans before turning to face him a small smile on her face

"Look one coffee, we can just talk ok, see it as a peace offering come on look we can even sit out here on the terrace-"

"How did you know they had a terrace?" Carla questions suspiciously as Peter sighs knowing he had to reveal where he was staying

"I'm staying here in one of the rooms-"

"No escaping you is there?" she quips as Peter rolls his eyes at her comment collecting the coffee and placing it down in front of her, Carla smiling appreciatively

Carla and Peter sat and talked, she agreed to one coffee and almost five more later she was still sat here, both of the ex-lovers still engrossed in the conversation they were having with each other, both of them making snide remarks about the faults in their lives. Carla told Peter all about Nick and how she cheated on him with his chef, Peter was surprised, she had been fiercely loyal when in a relationship with him and it would be unlike her to cheat unless it was for someone she loved but Peter knew she didn’t love Robert there was something else there, and that's when Carla told Peter about finding out Johnny was her dad and that she had a couple of siblings along with Rob, Peter was shocked that Carla now had a family, a family which she always wanted but Carla knew she had to get back to take her medication very soon so she had to find a way to end this conversation without Peter finding out a bombshell of her own.

"Look, I need to get going I have things to do, this was nice Peter, let me-"

"No, on me I think you deserve a few coffees on me after everything I put you through back in the day"

"Oh well thank you I guess" she shrugs putting her purse away as Peter places his hand on top of hers on the table looking into the eyes seeing some hint of pain or fear , he could read her so easily and she knew it

"What's going on Car?" he whispers as she smiles tearfully biting her lip sliding her coat on as Peter gets up holding both of her hands, she had two options, open up to Peter knowing he would understand or bite his head off and they end up going their separate ways adding to the previous awkwardness that comes with ex-lovers after a brief rummage around in the back of her brain she decided to go for the first option, something lured her to that option, maybe old feelings stirring from within, she didn’t really know but she hoped she did the right thing

"Come back to mine and I'll show you" she smiles as Peter nods putting his coat on as Carla links arms with him knowing that Peter wouldn’t treat her like an invalid as they walk up to her house the reds and oranges of the sunset turning into a dark blue of the night as Carla puts her key in the lock taking her shoes off, Peter doing the same out of courtesy

"Take a seat, there are no rules really"

"Ta, this house is very…cosy?" Peter questions looking around the room he was in, the breast of the fireplace covered in rusty coloured brown-red bricks, black leather sofas, patio doors in the open planned kitchen/dining room area which lead out to a stretch of plain green grass, little stepping stones leading to the shed which was situated in the far corner of the garden, a perfect house for two people who were possibly going to start a family together, this thought in particular cut Peter pretty deep, a wave of jealousy flowing through his body as well as feelings of regret and self-hatred

"Yeah, thinking about it now it's not really my style" she replies returning from the kitchen with a couple of coffees before disappearing again to get a blue box which contained all of her medications and leaflets of her illness in it, placing it on the table biting her lip thinking if this was a good idea, she knew she trusted Peter more so than her own family right now even though he had betrayed her in the past, she could see he had changed for the better

"What's the box about?" Peter questions placing his coffee back down on one of the coasters, Carla sitting down next to him , smiling nervously taking the box and placing it on his lap for him to open, Peter holding on to one of her hands absentmindedly, Carla not moving hers away which he took as an 'ok' to him continuing to hold It with his, Peter removing it briefly to open it, a confused expression on his face, Carla chewing her bottom lip guiltily

"What…?"

"You wanted to know…"

"I did but you're literally dying in front of my eyes Carla" Peter sighs placing the box back down on top of the table, taking the leaflet out and reading some of the symptoms now knowing why she looked so damn exhausted hours prior to him meeting her 

"Fatigue…that's why you have the dark circles under your eyes" Peter realises placing the leaflet back down on the table, bringing Carla in for a hug which made her feel so safe, more than safe it made her feel better, it made all of her problems disappear for a moment before she realised no one, not even her family could find out about this, not yet anyway

"No one knows"

"Not even Michelle? Your family?" Peter questions as Carla looks up at him nodding as Peter sighs knowing she hated all the attention he knew she would receive if her family would find out

"I only found out a week ago myself…Michelle's had so much going on with Steve I couldn’t drop this on her now, that would be selfish, Aidan's had problems with the factory, Kate with her relationship problems and Johnny is embarking on a new relationship, I don’t want to ruin it for them" 

"I understand…I do I would feel the same"

"That's why I told you, you get why I don’t want to tell anyone and I thank you for that…so thank you" she smiles up at him before grabbing a couple of the tablets from the box and downing it with the remains of her coffee, Peter leaning back against the sofa in shock, she was dying in front of his eyes pretty much and he wanted to do anything to help her get better even if it meant testing himself to see if he was a match, she deserved to live after everything she went through, after he put her through some of the most horrible things someone so innocent shouldn’t have to go through

"So what are you going to do then?" Peter questions, his heart beating fast at the fact she may choose to give up and not go along with this as Carla laughs slightly, she hadn't even thought about this question herself, would her kidney disease turn into kidney failure, most likely if she didn’t get the help she needed

"I haven't even thought about it to be honest, I know that I should tell my family but like I said-"

"You don’t want the attention and you don't want to be seen as selfish…"

"Exactly"

"Will you promise me one thing?" Peter questions, this was his chance to prove to her that he was there for her and that she didn’t need to push him away and that he could be trusted, he watched Carla raise an eyebrow suspiciously in response to this question, he thought that she knew what was coming but then he thought about it again, she would usually cute him off if she knew and shoot down any further question asking and tell him to do one

"Depends what it is"

"Let me help you get better, please I owe you this Carla after everything I did, let me help you"

"What are you going to do then, wave a magic wand and say 'here's a kidney for ya Carla?' I appreciate it Peter I do but…I don’t know" she sighs not really having an answer, she was tired, ever so tired more so now that ever due to her blasted kidneys packing in, so she let out a strained yawn, Peter cupping her cheek with his hand rubbing his thumb over her cheekbones

"I'm scared, I don’t want to die Peter" she whispers her eyes downcast to her lap, loving the feel of the rough skin of Peter's hand on the soft supple feel of the skin of her face, as she finally looks up at him, tears threatening to fall, at this point in time she knew she could finally let her defences down it was just her and Peter, like it should've been for a long time before he screwed it up, before they screwed it up, Carla couldn’t help think that if they tried a bit harder they could've salvaged what was left of their relationship back in 2014 

"Oh sweetheart, I'm here I'm going to help you get better ok?"

"Ok" she whispers unable to keep up the fight any longer, Peter bringing her in so that her head was rested on his chest, Peter stroking her hair absently trying to comfort her in the ways he knew best, Carla loved the feel of his hands in her hair

“Stay”

“Always”

“Maybe we should get up to bed you look shattered” Peter observes knowing that she probably didn’t get much sleep on her own since her and Nick separated,Carla always liked someone to hold her when she was going through a difficult time it made her feel safe, Peter wanted to be there for her now he wanted to hold her, tell her everything was going to be ok, tell her that she was going to get better and that she was going to live 

“Will you sleep next to me? Hold me?” she questions almost childlike her mind retreating back into the innocent days of childhood where she wished someone would hold her when she had a nightmare, this was the same she felt like she was living a nightmare a nightmare off possible death and uncertainty

“Always, how about I get you a glass of water while you get ready, do you need anything else?”

“No, i’ve taken my medication so a glass of water will do me just fine ta, glasses are in the cupboard next to the sink, my bedroom’s at the end of the corridor on the right”

“I’ll meet you up there don’t worry” he replies watching her trudge up the stairs somewhat exhausted his heart breaking for the woman he loved, well still loved… he went to get her a glass of water like he requested she should have before making his way up the stairs to her bedroom, it was different more sophisticated he decided than anything she ever had before and off from her bedroom was an en-suite, a very large hot tub style bath, a toilet and obviously a shower cubicle and a sink, he could imagine Carla soaking away her problems in that bath, a temporary fix to a permanent situation, Carla appearing in her black silk night gown, her face scrubbed free of makeup, Peter instinctively placing get glass of water down on the left side of the bed knowing Carla always liked to sleep on the left side

“Thanks for that, I appreciate it, go on get in” she grins patting the right side of the bed as Peter takes his trousers off as well as his shirt draping them on the back of the vanity unit Carla had in her room, grabbing the blanket which was at the foot of the bed before taking time to appreciate the sight in front of her, Peter in his boxers

“I’m sorry all me stuffs at the guesthouse…”

“Peter, I’ve seen you naked more times than i’ve had glasses of red, just get in will ya”

“Come here” he smiles sliding into bed and letting her body melt into his, the lingering smell of her perfume still there from the days events, immediately stirring thoughts within Peter which shouldn’t really happen

“I’m not sure this is a good idea…” he trails off as Carla smiles glancing down to his slight bulge in his boxers

“Just relax, hey? I understand ok…I do” she smiles knowing that the feeling of attraction will sometimes never fade, she wasn’t completely sure her attraction for him had faded either, she could definitely tell Peters hadn’t

“I like your hair like this” he smiles she never really liked to tie it up but it did something for him, seeing the dark raven roots of her natural hair colour fade in with the light brown ends of her hair

“I’m going to try and get some sleep, you’re welcome to play with my hair if you want” she whispers tearfully the cascading moonlight script the room illuminating her eyes bringing the tears to Peters attention as she finally surrendered to her precious emotion that evening

“Make me forget”

“Carla-“

“Please, just for one night” 

So that’s what he did he made her forget, he pressed his lips against hers as they both melted into each other, Carla’s hand was in his hair as he pulled her closer feeling the smoothness of her silk nightgown on the naked top half of his body, Peter moved down slightly so he could plant delicate kisses along her collarbone, tenderly sucking on the skin of her neck causing Carla to emit a low moan from her lips, Peter pulling back as if he was asking permission for himself to continue the assault on her neck or her body for that matter, Carla smiling leaning in to kiss him, Peter’s hands walking themselves up her nightgown coming to rest on her knickers but she pulled away, pulling his boxers down allowing his erection to spring to life in her hands, Carla running her hand from base to tip making him hard instantly, he was ready for her, she wanted this to be gentle, emotional… so emotional she wanted her breath to be taken away, she wanted Peter to take ownership of her body and show it the love it deserved, hoping the love would make her feel revitalised, Peter somehow knew this, he grasped her knickers and pulled them swiftly down her legs, already realising how ready she was for him by the wetness her knickers left on his hands, Peter brushing his finger lightly along her folds leaving Carla craving for his touch as she rolls her lips forcing his fingers to enter her, Carla sighing at the contact, Peter pushing his finger against her walls, Peter adding another as he brings his thumb to rub her clit, in circular motions, up and down until it was throbbing nice and wildly under his touch

"Yes Peter…right there!" 

Peter continued his assault on her, wanting to feel her release for the first time since they separated, he needed to make sure she was ready and that she wouldn’t be disappointed by what was to come, literally. So he carried on swirling his fingers inside of her until her eyes fluttered shut her back arching, her body pressed into him now, her limbs beginning to tremble Peter sucking tenderly on her neck as her orgasmic juices run down his hand as he smirks leaving Carla to come down from her orgasm as she finally recovers, swiftly hooking her leg over his and poising his throbbing erection so the tip of it was just inside her she rolled her hips so she engulfed him fully so he was fully sheathed inside of her, Peter groaning at the sensations flowing freely around his body as they both begin to rock together, their bodies flowing freely together; when Peter thrusted into Carla, Carla thrusting down onto him which brought her to her second orgasm on the third thrust, her body shuddered,

“Oh Peter! Yes!”

She cried out, her body trembling as the juices of her previous orgasm mingled with her current orgasm, all these sensations causing Peter to release as well, the mingled sweat of the two lovers, or ex-lovers? They didn’t know really, maybe they should've seen this as casual sex? It felt so much more though but none of them would ever admit it until one of them caved. Peter pulled out of Carla as she wrapped her arms around his middle as both of them drifted off into a peaceful sleep together, forgetting about the problems they faced the next day when they would eventually had to talk about the actions which went on in Carla's bedroom that evening…


	2. Chapter 2

Blissful was one way to describe the night's sleep Carla had endured, and when she woke the next morning she sighed lovingly at the man holding her naked body close his, it made her feel safe, secure and damn right loved. She felt like she could fight and she felt like she could live if he was by her side she dreamt peacefully about the future, one night of desire leading her to think about the future was a good sign, wasn’t it? Maybe this gave her the energy to get better now

Anyway enough of Carla’s thoughts now

Let’s move on to Peter

When Peter woke that morning he woke up to the woman he loved and probably would love until he died, he was holding her naked body close, this was something he cherished knowing that if Carla didn’t get better and if she became more sick than she was, he wouldn’t be able to do this, not anymore, not ever and that thought alone made his heart beat faster in nerves. Peter Barlow was not one to think about the future usually but he couldn’t help think about it now and the thought of Carla not being in it scared him a lot, too much. Peter tried to push all thoughts and feelings aside for now he would deal with them later, he wanted to enjoy Carla's company and tried to think about what she may say about the exhilarating sex they had last night, he hadn’t seen her orgasm like that in years, not to that extent anyway, this proved to Peter that he could definitely rock her world, even he was surprised that her preferences for sex were still the same, especially as he thought that Nick was probably quite boring in the bedroom, he couldn’t help but feel smug at the fact he made her come so hard yet so gentle as well, that was something he was bound to make witty remarks about later. He woke to Carla with a large smile beaming on her face, Peter knew she definitely didn’t regret it, she didn’t, there was no way especially when she noticed his semi erect member pushed in between her legs Carla grinning at the fact that Peter was trying to pleasure himself without being inside her

That had to change

Carla grabbed the base of his penis and forcefully drilled it through her entrance gasping as she uses her muscles to squeeze his cock inside of her, her juices already starting to flow and they had barely started yet, Peter lifted her up onto his lap so she could straddle him, his cock still prisoner inside of her, her body starting to tremble either at the excitement or the change in position hitting her in all the right places so it made her start to orgasm before Peter was ready, she rocked her hips frantically, then something changed in her expression as Peter flipped her over into her back to thrust into her wildly his hands gripping her wrists, the look on her face, something so simple and yet something so haunting, it terrified Peter as she frantically pushed him off, then he realised, how could he have been so stupid to go so rough when her emotions were so strained and vulnerable?

“I’m sorry it's just…I need to get ready” she says sliding out of bed butt naked and heading to her bathroom and running a bath she needed to get herself clean, she needed to scrub her body, Peter picked her phone up from the side and saw it was September 2016 , he sighed, of course she felt that way, Carla was very sensitive especially when her emotions scared her and she had no control over them causing her to be haunted by the ghosts of her past, one ghost in particular, he grabbed his boxers and slid them on along with his trousers, he didn’t put his shirt on, instead he went to the bathroom and knocked on the door, seeing a tearful Carla appear made his heart shatter into a million pieces, she let him into her bathroom

“I’m sorry I should’ve known” he whispers as she shakes her head, she shouldn’t be his burden her mental well-being shouldn’t be his burden no way, he was allowed to live his life the way he wanted not keep saving her like she was some damsel in distress

“I need to clean”

“You don't sweetheart, come here”

And she did she fell into his embrace, his kind loving embrace that spoke volumes that spoke unadulterated love, she knew Peter would never harm a hair on her head, he handed her his shirt noticing she only had the towel wrapped around her, she sighed turning up the temperature of the water, she felt dirty, she knew she wasn’t, it was Peter, her Peter, she knew that, of course she did, she just couldn’t get tainted images out of her head, Peter was physically restraining her at this point knowing once she started there was no coming back but he also had hope this would fade, she used to do this every day in September since it happened then when it hit the first of October it was weird, it stopped, she stopped scrubbing herself, he had always been determined to make her stop this cleaning routine on her body every September that they were together, he would always make sure that when she had a bath he was around to watch her if she needed to, or if she needed to cry, he was there, making sure he could reduce the amount her skin was scrubbed, it helped but it wasn’t a permanent fix, the longer after her attack happened the less she scrubbed but obviously in September sometimes old feelings resurfaced, he wondered how she cope with Nick, whether he helped her, but he didn’t want to pry. 

Nervously, he watched the bath tub fill, Carla turning on the whirlpool effects, Peter decided to take action, he would get in the bath with her, it was more than big enough for the two of them, so he took his trousers off and boxers and got in the bath, Carla raising an eyebrow as she got in as well, he was watching her, she knew why, she shuffled over to him as he whispered

“Come here” 

“I’m sorry it’s just that-“

“When you feel so vulnerable old feelings can't help but rise” Peter smiles somewhat philosophically causing Carla to let out a light chuckle Peter nudging her rolling his eyes knowing exactly what she was thinking with the words that just came out of this mouth

“You being all philosophical” Carla smirks as Peter grins making sure he held her wrists so she didn’t scrub them, ever so gently though, he didn’t want it to trigger off horrible images in her head, then he wondered how she coped when he wasn’t around, did she go back to scrubbing her wrists last year? Did they go red raw? He didn’t want to ask, he knew that she would most likely tell him eventually but the thought of her telling him what he didn’t want to hear, it scared him, well it would scare anyone, wouldn’t it?

“So then tell me your routine, your drugs and stuff” 

“What routine?” she scoffs knowing she just chose to ignoring her condition which suggested to Peter that she needed a swift kick up the backside, obviously she knew what he was thinking, she could rad him like a book and likewise her but she would never admit that to anyone

“I know what you’re thinking”

“Humor me”

“You’re thinking that I probably need to do something about my condition but before I do that I need to make sense of it all in my head first” she explains somewhat tearfully Peter was glad that it didn’t sound like she was giving up, now he just needed to establish a routine with her something she won’t forget to make sure she always took her medication, to make sure she did get better, there was one thing on his mind though, one question he wanted to ask

“Last night?”

“All I know it was the best sex I ever had, you rocked my world Peter Barlow”

“Where does it leave us?”

“Honestly I don't know, what do you want?" Carla questions as Peter sighs knowing she would put it all on him that he would have to be honest he was just worried in case she would shoot him down, he didn’t want that, he wanted to gain her trust after he screwed it up the last time, he also wanted to help her through this rough patch with her emotions, he wanted to help her through this month at least even if the answer which he was about to say would probably shock her to the bone, then he thought was this a test? Was she testing him to see if he changed? So he came up with a plausible answer

"All I want to do now is get you better, gain your trust then we can think about us?"

"I would like that, maybe we could start off as friends then see what happens yeah? After last night Peter, I don’t think I could be without you again even though I don’t entirely trust that you're not going to stray again I feel so torn with everything"

"Hey, look I can go if you want I just didn’t want you to scrub yourself to-"

"Don’t, stay, please stay and hold me, please for today" she begs placing a hand on his chest as Peter smiles down at her, lifting her up, the warm water still swirling around them both as he places her down on his lap, her breasts crushing against his chest as he holds her close, Carla slipping her legs either side of his, as Peter glances down to look into her eyes, the look of lust very present in those green orbs of hers, smiling she ran her hand through his thick dark hair, Carla's hand gripping the base of his penis, moving her hand rhythmically from base to tip, then again, from base to tip until it was throbbing under her touch, Carla poising it at her entrance as she engulfs it inside of her

"Your pace sweetheart"

"Mmm"

She moans as she rocks her hips gently against his member, his cock slipping in and out of her with ease as they were in water, Carla squeezing her muscles around him as he groans, this carnal groans spurring Carla on to pick up her pace, only if her mind let her, Peter could see the tears forming very quickly as she sped up, these weren't tears of love they were tears of fear, he just wanted to take her pain away so he made the executive decision to slide out of her, Carla trying her best to grip onto him using her internal muscles but it proved fruitless

"Don’t put yourself through this Carla, I'm here you don’t need to keep up the façade"

That was when she broke down, that was when her world came crashing down, that as when she realised she loved Peter Barlow and that was when she realised that maybe they could make a go of things, and that's what they did, starting from that evening where Carla was dressed in a red tight fitting dress, Peter in the only suit he brought with him from Portsmouth, Carla knew Peter loved her in red so to match her red dress she smothered on bright red lipstick and that was it, they were both off into town, Peter driving her Mercedes as they arrived at a Japanese sushi and seafood restaurant, Carla raising her eyebrow suspiciously

"Why are we 'ere?" 

"Well don’t mind me for caring but I heard that you need to keep your protein levels up in your condition and what better way to do that with a sushi and seafood restaurant"

Yet she still seemed sceptical

"Look, if you don’t like it we can go to the pub over the road, I thought it would be worth a try"

So Peter led Carla into the restaurant and took a seat next to her on the ever growing conveyor belt of different types of Sushi's heading their way, Carla grabbing a fork instead of chopsticks, she really didn’t want to embarrass herself further, and she went for a small parcel of sushi, specifically named 'Sashimi' basically slices of raw fish meat, she took a bite wincing at the saltiness but the taste, that was something else, she actually enjoyed it, then the next portion of sushi came along, this one looked very different, this one was named 'Oshizushi' and was a slice of boiled fish placed on top of a rice cake with some sort of green filling, possibly seaweed she thought, through the middle splitting the rice cake into two, so she put it in her mouth and groaned in delight

"You like that one?"

"Mhm, gosh this is amazing Peter, I mean it we're coming here again"

We? He thought to himself, did Carla basically admit, subconsciously obviously, that she wanted him to stay, that was music to his ears but he knew she was still very vulnerable and he wouldn’t want to push it, so they continued to enjoy their evening

"You're not going to like that one! I guarantee it" Peter replies smugly as Carla raises her eyebrows in need of a challenge, grabbing her fork and stabbing the arrangement of little red balls rapped in what she assumed was seaweed putting it into her mouth and frowning at the texture, Peter smirking at her narrowing her eyes to read the plaque which was on the plate 'Gunkanmaki' she didn’t know what the hell that was, like with the other things she tasted but she knew Peter would take great pleasure in telling her

"Out with it"

"It's fish eggs wrapped in seaweed" 

"Ew so I just ate fish babies?"

"Well they weren't fertilised-"

"So I ate fish period?"

"I'm not saying anything, how about I treat you to an early night and a tub of ice cream back at your place?"

"Sounds great" 

So they went home Peter stopping off at a nearby Tesco to pick up some of Carla's favourite ice creams as she slept peacefully in the car after a difficult morning, he just wanted to brighten her mood in general and he knew that she needed to feel happy to feel better about herself, so he bought numerous tubs of ice cream, ranging from chocolate fudge brownie, honeycomb and caramel, plain strawberry and his favourite, hazelnut magnums before driving home and using the keys which were attached to her car keys to open the front door so he could carry her sleeping body into the living room, placing her down on the sofa being careful not to wake her, she seemed so peaceful but then he glanced to her wrists seeing the red raw skin, he sighed knowing he wouldn’t be able to watch her all the time, so he gently picked her hand up and kiss her wrist before grabbing the double thickness fluff covered blanket and putting it over her, going into the kitchen and into her freezer to cram the ice creams in for later on, so he decided to sit on the armchair and let her sleep until she woke, Peter watched TV, the volume on low so he didn’t wake her and then at around 1 AM she woke her eyes wincing at the light blaring from the telly, before glancing towards the armchair where Peter was smiling at her

"How long were I asleep for?"

"Only a few hours, you needed it especially after this morning, I didn’t have the heart to leave you especially with everything that happened this morning" 

"Never leave me Peter, please, I don’t think I can do this without you"

"I promise, we'll get you better sweetheart, we will"

And that was the promise Peter Barlow made, to get the love of his life well again


	3. Chapter 3

Yet again Peter woke up next to Carla, her limbs tangled with his as they snooze together in complete harmony, Carla dreaming about her future with Peter whilst Peter…he was pinching himself thinking he was living in a dream. He wondered about the changes this would make to his life, he knew Carla needed him and he needed her to an extent, it was almost like one of the strongest magnetic fields pulled them together, Peter wasn’t one for religion, but he was left thanking the gods above for coincidentally landing him in Carla's orbit again, except this time it was tainted with her possible death.

Carla woke up to Peter still sleeping next to her, she got up and made her way to the bathroom ensuring that she left the bathroom door open, she glanced to the bath tub which made her mind whir knowing that it was calling her to start cleaning herself, but her thoughts were stopped when Peter entered the bathroom wrapping his arms around her waist as she leans back into him as she smiles running a facial wipe over her face Peter watching as she brought her hand up to do it, her wrists red raw still but Peter didn’t judge her instead he took her hand and kissed her wrist gently causing a flutter of uncontrollable butterflies in the pit of Carla's stomach

"Thank you for being gentle, I just need to get past September then this should stop"

"I know it will"

"Of course you do"

Peter knew her like he knew the back of his hand, like wise with Carla, she could name every single emotion Peter was experiencing at the given time, she sensed guilt and she sensed fear, his fear for her continuing to do this until September was over and done with, out of the way, he just wanted to hold her and whisper loving words into her ear and insist that she was loved and that she was safe in his arms, she always knew she was safe in his arms, of course she did, after everything they went through and even though he betrayed her she felt safe, she wanted to spend time with Peter today at home snuggled up next to him on the sofa, and that's when her phone rang, Carla releasing herself from Peter's embrace and going to answer it going to see Michelle's number she went back to Peter the phone still vibrating wildly in her hands as well as the ring tone blaring out through the bathroom

“Answer it”

So she did

“Hi ‘Chelle…oh that’s great news, yeah I’ll come up some time maybe and we could celebrate…hey, I want to…I bet you and Steve are over the moon…alright then, bye and congratulations”

“What did she say?”

“She’s pregnant” Carla smiles as Peter brings her in for a hug, rubbing his hand up and down her back as she sighs into his embrace wrapping her arms around his neck standing on her tip toes to kiss him softly on the lips, before looking lovingly into his eyes trying to depict what was going on in his mind, she wanted to hold him close and he wanted to do the same to her

“So…you’re going to be Aunty Carla then?”

“By the looks of things yes, definitely something worth living for”

“Why don’t I take you out? We can go anywhere you like” 

“I just want to stay here and spend time with you”

And that’s what they did, Carla and Peter cuddled up on the sofa bed with the artificial log fire giving a hearty glow to the room, Peter grabbing the tubs of ice cream he bought yesterday when Carla fell asleep in the car on the way back from the sushi restaurant, he wanted to hold her, make her feel better about herself so he gently played with her wrists and made sure his touch was soft, Carla knew what he was doing, he was trying to get her to open up about her problems but she knew he would never force her to until she was ready and that was when she realised she couldn’t let him go.

“I wanted to speak to you actually” 

“Ok…” Carla replies nervously glancing down to her wrists where the blotchy red skin didn’t look red enough for her liking she looked up into Peters eyes and saw his nerves as well, she could tell whatever he was about to say she wouldn’t like, she was scared, her heart beating a million beats a second, her hands starting to shake tremendously but Peter knew he needed to say what was on his mind

“I need to go back to Portsmouth”

“No”

“Carla-“

“No Peter, please no, stay you said you’d help me get better, you said that you would be with me every step of the way!"

She cried, so violently, it scared Peter, he didn’t know how to feel, Peter wrapping his arms around her as she sobbed, her hands grabbing fistfuls of his shirt that he was wearing, Peter trying to hold her to calm her down, until she started hitting him, somewhat violently, that again scared Peter, he hadn't seen Carla like that in ages, she was genuinely traumatised by everything that happened in the last few days of her life, he knew that he shouldn’t have been so cryptic but he needed more of his stuff if he was going to stay, he needed to go to Portsmouth to sort things out so he was in a position to help her more, he needed to get across his point but he was afraid she wouldn’t take yes as an answer and put him in a difficult position or even inflict more scrubbing onto her wrists, he couldn’t let that happen, no way

"I need more of my stuff Car, so I can stay here with you, if that's still what you want"

"It is" she replies firmly "I want that Peter I just don’t know how I'm meant to cope on my own, that's all"

"You will, you've done so well sweetheart, you could always go and see Michelle for a couple of days-"

"A couple of days!" she exclaims "Peter, I cannot wait a couple of days, I need you now, please just stay, please"

"I will darlin' I will, I promise you that but I need to head back to get some of my stuff and sort my flat out and stuff, you have to understand" he smiles cupping her cheek as she storms into the kitchen grabbing a plastic container full of left overs and going to the microwave to heat it up, leaning on the counter closing her eyes as blotting colours of blues, greens and reds cloud her vision, Carla falling to the floor and knocking her head on the door handle of one of the cupboards Peter rushing to her aid

"Car, wake up sweetheart, come on" he panics calling an ambulance as Carla emits a low, inaudible grumble from her lips, Peter trying not to move her or scare her

"Don’t try and move Carla"

"Peter"

"It's ok sweetheart, help's on its way"

"Cold" she whispers as Peter grabs the blanket from the sofa and puts it over her, Peter smiling at her as she touches the blood dripping from her head, Peter pressing a clean tea towel to her wound as she grumbles in pain, as the doorbell goes

"She's through here, she had kidney disease, I don’t know how serious ,I think she passed out then hit her head" Peter explains as the paramedics nods, tending to Carla's head wound as she hisses in pain every now and then, Peter squeezing her hand gently as she squeezes it back in response, as the paramedics lift her onto the stretcher, Peter following them into the ambulance taking Carla's keys so they didn’t get locked out on the way back, Peter holding her hand every step of the way as she vomits violently into one of the cardboard boxes one of the paramedics were holding, Peter sighing realising that this fall could really scare her and that now she really wouldn’t want to be alone, he didn’t blame her, dealing with something so tainted with death and sadness, he really doesn’t blame her, maybe this was his opportunity to get some stuff whilst she was in hospital so she had the care of professionals, he knew that they would want to run tests on her but at the same time he just wished this nightmare would end

"We've ran some tests on you Carla, and the last kidney function test we did, your percentage was 70%-"

"And now?"

"60, this was most likely the cause of your fall, we have a pack of information we want you to read so that you can make adjustments to your lifestyle to help with your kidney disease, we also want you to speak to a psychiatrist about those marks on your wrists-"

"I don’t need a counsellor" she mumbles as Peter sighs, holding her hand knowing that he couldn’t do this alone, he needed help, he knew Carla really well but he didn’t know how to make this better for her, but there was one thing he could promise and that was that he would be there for her to talk to now, he wanted this to work between them, seeing her kidney function dip like that it scared him, he wanted to get tested to donate a kidney, he wanted to make her better, of course he knew the chances were so low of him being a match but he needed to do this for her, it was the least she deserved

"I'll leave you both to it, there's more sick bowls in the cupboard if you need them"

"Carla we need to talk about this ok?" Peter says stroking the skin of her wrists as she flinches every now and then, she hated bringing up her attack with most people, including him, let alone an actual stranger who didn’t know her, he knew she would be scared but he wanted to reassure her he was there for her every step of the way, he wanted to speak to the psychiatrist with her, to hold her hand and prompt her into speaking about her attack, he knew it was very difficult for her, but there was something he needed to get off his chest

"I have an idea sweetheart"

"Go on" 

"How about I go back to Portsmouth whilst you're still in hospital, that way I can pack some cases and come down here again, you'll be safe here the nurses will look after you, how about that, then before you know it, I'll be here by your side again"

"Ok, but stay until the psychiatrist comes, please, I don’t want to do that on my own" 

"Always-"

"Carla Connor?" a young male psychiatrist enters the room, well groomed, he seemed young which made Carla sceptical but she offered a small smile anyway

"Hi"

"I hear you've been having a difficult time of it lately, is that true?" 

"Peter…" Carla whispers as Peter shuffles onto the bed beside her putting an arm around her shoulders as she sighs anxiously not wanting to reveal her fears to this stranger which didn’t know her, Peter could see the hesitation in the way she glanced down to her hands to fiddle with them nervously, he tilted her head up to plant a loving kiss on her lips

"She has" Peter replies for her as the psychiatrist smiles taking notes

"How have you been feeling Carla?"

"Alone, worried, and I guess scared as well" she replies quietly taking her time to think about every emotion she experienced since she got her diagnosis, she was scared, very scared, scared of not living, scared of not having Peter in her life and scared of failing to keep up false pretences all the time, it was tiring and thinking like that made her feel every so lonely

"Do you know why you feel that way?"

"I cheated on my husband back in January, then we got married but it all came out due to someone really hating me for ruining their life apparently" she replies cryptically not wanting Peter to go off the rails at Tracey knowing Michelle would get wind of it and it would open up the whole can of worms as to why Peter was with her

"That must've been really difficult for you"

"It was, so I moved down here, I'm from Manchester you see"

"I thought I recognised the accent, so who's this?" the psychiatrist smiles continuing to take notes

"This is Peter, he's my ex-husband, but not my recent ex-husband if that makes sense?" she laughs slightly thinking how much of a mess her life was and knowing she should probably settle down soon, she was just into her forties and she had no husband and no kids, not that she wanted kids but it was just her, it was about time she settled down to live a happy life but she just kept messing it up for some reason, she didn’t know why but she always blamed herself, when some things weren't even her fault, she was following her heart and that was ok, right?

"I think I understand, so you and Peter are close?"

"Very, he built me back up from when I was raped, which is why I scrub my wrists"

"I'm sorry to hear that Carla, I understand that must have been really difficult time for you, how did you feel when it happened, if you don’t mind me asking?"

Carla looked up at Peter who gestured for her to continue, he could see the fear in her eyes, the fear of revealing her emotions to a person she only met minutes prior, he knew that she would be sceptical but he tried to prompt her the best he would, he knew she needed to do this for herself

"Alone, scared, on-edge, angry and tainted"

"Why tainted, if you don’t mind me asking?"

"I felt dirty, like he was tainting my skin, with his grimy hands and his touch, his fingerprints, I felt disturbed I felt scared that it could happen again, and I felt sick, sick in the pit of my stomach and ever so angry"

"That's a lot of strong emotions, why do you feel dirty?"

"It's obvious isn't it?" she snaps "Sorry…his touch, he makes me feel grim, especially in September, I want to stop now Peter"

"Ok, ok you're alright" Peter glances to the psychiatrist who smiles writing notes

"I stop scrubbing in October I don’t see what the big deal is"

"It's true, come the first of October it all stops" Peter pipes up as the psychiatrist smiles putting his notepad in the brief case as Peter kisses the side of her head knowing how strong she was bringing up emotions of her attack knowing it was difficult for her to deal with at times, Peter knew she would be very vulnerable without him whilst he was down in Portsmouth collecting his stuff, Peter pulling her into his body as she smiles up at him for the comforting contact he provided her with for the awful situation they were in

"It probably wouldn’t have happened if I didn’t have kidney disease it was just an added blow on top of everything that happened but I have Peter now, and I'm ok, I know he will never leave me"

"Well I think that's me done anyway, I'll speak to the nurse in charge of your care and say that no extra action needs to be taken from us, we would like to see you part way through October for a check-up with us just so we can check you're alright but right now I don’t see the need for regular counselling sessions, that is unless you want them just to see the month out?"

"I'm alright, I don’t really do counselling" Carla grins slightly as the psychiatrist nods before leaving the room

"Right, shall I get on the road then and go to collect my stuff?"

"Could you stay? I don’t want to be alone, I can come with you when I'm better?"

"If that's what you want, it's completely up to you"

"Stay" she smiles shuffling over so he could lay beside her holding her close, stroking her hair how she ended up so vulnerable, he wanted to swing for Nick he really did, Carla deserved to be loved and she deserved to be happy, he knew it was partly her fault, he also knew it was partly her new dad's fault as well, but there was one thing Peter Barlow did know, and that was he was going to made sure Carla had the love and life she deserved…


	4. Chapter 4

When Carla's eyelids fluttered open around ten the next morning, Peter was by her side and she was ever so thankful, she wanted to feel loved and she did knowing he was still there with her, Peter bent down to look at her tired face stroking her hair tenderly as he leaned in to kiss her on the lips gently, Carla reaching up to run a hand through his unkempt beard, he didn’t want to lose her and no way would he let her leave him. The nurse came in to check to see if she had been sick and after a quiet chat with Peter it was decided Carla could go home which Peter was excited to tell her knowing it would put a smile on her face knowing she would have him all to herself.

"The nurse came in earlier, they said you can go when you're ready to go, I nipped back to yours and got you your tracksuit whilst you were sleeping" 

"Thank you"

They headed home, Carla closing her eyes for the majority of the journey, Peter picking up her prescription pain killers for the knock on her head knowing she was probably in a lot of pain considering there was a nice bruise surrounding her bandage she had on her temple. Carla smiled as Peter pulled up his car on Carla's drive next to hers, it was simple acts of domesticity that put a smile on her face, she couldn’t help but reminisce about that three bedroom house she was going to put an offer on in Chorlton that time, this definitely reminded her of that

"Come on then" Peter smiles helping her out of the car and into the house, and up the stairs to the bedroom and covering her over with the silky covers, Peter getting in beside her to hold her close as he always did

"Can we leave it a few days before we travel…I just want to get rid of the tenderness around my head, you know"

"I understand, we can go when you want to go, do you want anything?"

"A bath, I feel grim from being in that hospital, I probably smell sterile" she groans as Peter smiles getting up to run her a bath and grab some bubble bath for her so she could relax and get rid of that smell she thought was on her, he couldn’t help but doubt her though wondering it she would scrub her wrists in case she was trying to hide the fact she felt grim from her attack

"Do you want me to join you?"

"Yeah…it's up to you" she smiles slightly grabbing some new underwear, something more sexy and revealing knowing Peter would probably find her irresistible if she put on some of her best gear, as well as grabbing one of her silk night gowns she had, Peter biting his lip at the very revealing black lace thong she had

"That's not for me is it?" 

"Not everything's about you y'know I know you have an ego the size of the whole solar system but there's no harm in wanting to feel good about yourself"

"Hmm I reckon you have ulterior motives"

"Yeah, yeah" she smiles undressing herself, blushing under Peter's gaze "if you say so"

"Come here" he grins lifting her up and putting her in the bath as she giggles in excitement as well as high pitched squeals being emitted from those luscious lips of hers, Peter undressing himself frantically as getting into the bath with her as Carla launches herself at him her tongue running along his lips, as he accepts it into her mouth bringing his hands up to her hair trying not to get her bandage wet as she groans

Peter moved down to suck tenderly on the skin of her neck, the very soft supple skin of her neck, Carla emitting a low moan closing her eyes at the contact, taking the base of Peter's penis and running her hand from the base to tip until it was throbbing in her hands, she glanced up at his eyes, the built up arousal visible in them as well as the look of lust, she smirked leaning in to suck on his pulse point as he smirks trailing one of his hands from her hair to her breast, Peter running his thumb over her nipple until it was hard under his touch, Peter doing the same with the other, before his hand glided over the arch of her back down to her arse to give a quick squeeze which Carla gasped at, her very wet skin sensitive under his touch, Peter running a hand from her tailbone through the tantalising gap of her arse cheeks before running a finger every so softly, the touch was barely noticeable, over the opening of her pussy causing a primal groan from Carla, Peter seeking out her clit to maintain Carla's arousal as she groans in complete awe with the actions Peter was doing with those very skilled hands of his

"Mmm"

"Why are you being quiet?" 

"Because-"

Peter inserted two fingers into her causing her to cry out in ecstasy her head tilting back, Peter holding her body close as she moans with every thrust he commits with his fingers, using his thumb to apply pressure on her throbbing clit causing Carla's eyes to roll back into the back of her head, Peter smiling at her strength to prolong her impending orgasm, her cheeks a nice blushed colour, Peter pressing his fingers into the walls of her pussy causing Carla's body to shudder and release her body shaking profusely under the assault Peter was doing with his fingers, Carla leaning her head against his as they look into each other's eyes, Carla grabbing the base of Peter's cock to run her hand from base to tip, then again base to tip until he was rock hard and ready to take her, Carla lifting her body up out of the water to sink back down on Peter's cock as she adjusts herself to take him as deep as she could wanting to feel him fill her fully, as she begins to grind down onto his pelvis causing Peter to groan in response sucking on her neck as she fucks him senseless, picking up the pace trying to keep the thoughts entirely on Peter as she groans louder, her eyes heavy with lust as Peter whispers lovingly into her ear encouraging her to release again, Carla taking her time with this one, knowing that she wanted to prolong this as much as possible as Peter grunts releasing into her unable to hold off anymore, as Carla sighs lovingly as Peter stimulates her with her clit noticing she was taking her time with releasing again, Peter trying to bring her to orgasm again, trying to do all the things she likes knowing that she wanted a release so badly but it was obvious to Peter her body was not going to let her, and it was also obvious to Peter that there were subconscious thoughts in her head about Frank

"Car-"

"I can do it just-"

"Don’t push yourself sweetheart"

She sighed and gave up, releasing Peter from herself as tears fill her eyes, Peter kissing her forehead knowing that this would all stop soon and that the torturous thoughts of her mind would disappear on the first of October and she would be right as rain, Peter held her for a while in the water which was swirling around her trying to figure out how she was feeling. He decided on the feelings of worthless and annoyed, he could sense she was angry as well which concerned him knowing that this could result in scrubbing her wrists, and that's what she did, grabbing the pumice stone from the side, used to remove calloused skin, Carla rubbing shower gel into her arms as she scrubbed her wrists with all of the strength in her arms, Peter holding her at arm's length as she broke down again, sobbing into his chest still scrubbing, Peter placing a hand over the pumice stone to stop her, Carla looking into his eyes and seeing the look of concern in them before she started scrubbing her wrists again, Peter removing the pumice stone from her hand before planting a kiss on her wrists noticing there were speckles of blood covering them, he sighed gently holding her like a baby on his lap as the warmth of the water swirled around them

"Why does he still take even after five years?"

"I don’t know sweetheart, I wish I had an answer for you, it will get better in time, and I'm here now so I can help you"

"I need to take my medication" Carla smiles getting out of the bath as Peter smiles watching her get dressed into her tracksuit, Peter getting out as well putting his clothes on and holding her head close to his chest running a hand through the dampness of it, mingled with water as well as sweat from her previous exertions, Peter placing a couple of fingers under her chin to tilt her head up to kiss her softly on the lips before leading her downstairs to the kitchen to take her medication, Peter watching her meticulously pick out the pills she needed to take grabbing her a glass of water so she could down them all, she smiled after, Peter watching her in awe especially at her strength, Carla was one of the strongest people he knew and he also knew that she would get through this, Peter looked around her cupboards still unsure of where everything was, he found the first aid kit so he decided he would grab a bandage and wrap it around Carla's wrist, he took her wrist gently and wrapped the bandage loose enough but tight enough so it didn’t feel like her blood supply would be cut off, he didn’t want to hurt her or aggravate her ripped up skin, she smiles at him wrapping the white sterile material around her wrists before lifting her hand up to his lips and planting a soft kiss over the material as she smiles wrapping her arms around his neck

"What are we going to do when we go down to Portsmouth?"

"I could book a hotel if my flat isn't up to your snobby standards" 

"Hey! I've never seen your flat, it can't be that bad" 

"Hmm it's hardly the superiority compared to a house or a flat in Victoria court, Car" Peter smirks swaying her from side to side in his arms as she smiles at him, leaning her chin on his shoulder as they sway in time with the music Carla put on the stereo as she pulled away to lean her forehead on his, smiling at him, she was curious to say the least, she wanted to know more information about Portsmouth and thinking about it he had been quiet about it and that was something she didn’t like, she wanted to give him the opportunity to be honest with her sensing that he was hiding something, maybe he had a girlfriend and he had been having illicit sex with her, she didn’t ask you see and that was very much a rookie mistake, but she wouldn’t be mad she would be confused, she would be confused as to why he would hide a girlfriend from her unless it was someone she knew or hear of, and that thought alone, made her feel sick, sick to the pit of her stomach but she needed to ask the question

"Can I ask you a question?"

"A question ey? That's a recipe for disaster"

"Oi" she playfully hits him "I have you know I think I can use my vast amount of knowledge to ask a very serious question"

"Go on then"

"Do you have a girlfriend, in Portsmouth, is that why you were so reluctant to let me go to your flat? Or even Portsmouth with you?"

"Carla I want to spend time with you and get you better, no one else matters"

"So you do have a girlfriend then?" she smirks slightly as Peter sighs in response nodding slowly Carla closing her eyes that someone else in the world thought Peter was all theirs, this annoyed her, no, it angered her but she didn’t show it she just assumed she was numb, Peter was anticipating a bad reaction from his confession but there was nothing, Carla knew it was partly her fault, she didn’t ask and she wished she did now as she was put in an awkward position, so she tried to suppress her anger which would never be a good move

"Why didn’t you tell me? You haven't changed have you?" she whispers as Peter sighs knowing she was obviously thinking about his cheating, he did cheat, even though it was with her and it didn’t feel like cheating but he still did cheat and that scared Carla but there was something else this was tainted with, well not tainted more like purified she thought, the taint was purified with love, and she could see Peter loved her, ever so much, the way he was when the psychiatrist was speaking to her, the way he bandaged her wrists up minutes prior to this conversation and the way he made her stop during sex when he saw her struggling, there were so many things that screamed love to her but nothing that screamed trust, it was just empty, she was definitely confused

"I can end it with her if you want?"

"Oh like you were going to with me when you were with Tina!" Carla exclaims not believing she was hearing the same tune, but she knew something, that something being what Peter was saying would be true, she could tell that he loved her more than his current girlfriend, that was something which was certain it's just that the trust lacked so greatly as well as the fear of being cheated on, she had to let him go, she needed to let him go, she couldn’t do this again, no way

"Go"

"I'm not leaving you Carla, not whilst you're so vulnerable and scrubbing your wrists until they bleed, when you could pass out at any given opportunity, it's not happening, no"

"I'm asking you to leave and go back to your girlfriend Peter"

"It's not happening Carla, I'm not leaving, not without you"

"This isn't fair Pe'er! Stringing us both along! Go please just go I never want to see you again!"

"You never asked Carla, never!"

"I know! I know…but I gave you chapter and verse and what did you give me? A bunch of 'fob off' stories you should've been honest with me! I'm very weak right now!"

"I'm sorry" he cries, tears trailing down his face as Carla sighs rubbing her forehead "For everything, let me love you Carla, please, if you say no I'll go"

"No"

And that was it, Peter Barlow was out of her life, and it hurt, it hurt too much, he packed his bags and went, leaving Carla to fend for herself until no doubt another coincidental moment in their lives landed them in each other's orbit once again…


	5. Chapter 5

4 months later…

With a kidney function which kept dropping slowly and somewhat tediously for Carla's liking she decided enough was enough and she wasn’t going to let it ruin her life anymore, it was months since Peter had even spoke to her and Carla definitely viewed him as a coward but her being separated from Peter was doing her the world of good, it was making her take control for her actions and that was something Carla always cherished in her life, control. Carla was back smiling when she woke up every morning, going for a light run before breakfast trying to improve her fitness, this also helped with her feeling hungry when she ate her breakfast after her runs, that was until the phone went off in the middle of Carla finishing a bowl of muesli, Carla putting the landline on loud speaker so she could potter around and do things whilst talking to whoever it was

"Carla?" Steve asks, he voice thick with emotion, Carla raising an eyebrow in interest unbeknown to Steve, she was confused at why his voice sounded like that

"Has something happened Steve? Is it the baby?" Carla questions in anticipation, her mind flitting back to the memories of her late daughter briefly before returning her attention to Steve who was taking his time with answering her question, this just heightened her anxiety

"Yeah, um Michelle, she went into labour, we lost him Carla, she's distraught"

"Oh Steve, I'm so sorry, can I speak to her, visit even?" Carla asks as Steve sighs knowing that it might give Michelle some comfort is she was there having been through something similar

"She doesn’t want to speak, she won't even speak to me so I don’t think it would be a good idea me putting her on the phone" Steve explains as Carla sighs audibly, tears staining her eyes as she wipes down the kitchen counters

"Give her my love yeah? Tell her she's welcome to ask me up at any time if she needs me make sure she's alright for me, yeah?"

"I will Carla, you have my word, look I better get back to her, we just wanted to tell you" Steve sighs as Carla smiles ending the call before hanging up, closing her eyes imaging the pain Michelle was going through, it brought back some horrible emotions for Carla herself but she knew the next decision she was going to make was going to be a big one, a very un-thought out decision which could implicate the lives of Peter Barlow and Carla Connor

Making the executive decision to drive up to Manchester to stay in a five star hotel she smiled at the luxury although it was smothered in grief and anxiety. After the near four hour drive due to roadworks and various other delays she arrived at the hotel and checked in, loaded her stuff into the wardrobe for her weeks stay in Weatherfield, she wondered what state she would find Michelle in, whether she would be open about her feelings or whether Carla would have to pry them out of her, so she took the drive to the street parking her car alongside the Rover's and going through the alleyway to knock on the back door of the pub.

"Carla?" Steve questions as Carla smiles stepping into the pub as Steve sighs gesturing for her to go into the backroom, Carla seeing Michelle holding one of her son's baby grows against her chest, an outfit he never got to wear, Carla knew that would cut very deep for her

"'Chelle" Carla chokes up as Michelle spins her head around to look at her, Carla concerned it may have fallen off the speed she did it, Michelle getting up to hug Carla sobbing into her chest as Steve leaves them to it

"I'm here darlin', I'm here" 

"Why did he have to leave me Carla, I miss him"

"I know you do, oh darlin' let it all out"

Carla sat with Michelle huddled into her chest for around an hour until her crying slowed down and her breathing rate returned to normal, so normal she fell asleep leaning on Carla, who shifted her down onto the cushion and placing a blanket which was on the arm of the sofa over her friends slumbering body, she sighed, the loss of a child cut ever so deep no matter how young or old, how unborn or alive, it hurt, it always would. Carla watched Michelle sleep she branded herself creepy until she realised she couldn’t tell them about her kidney's there was no way now, it wasn’t happening and the loss of Michelle's baby made her convinced this was the right option for all parties involved. Steve entered the room planting a soft kiss on Michelle's forehead before beckoning Carla out of the room into the hallway closing the door to let Michelle sleep, he sighed tearily, he was scared of the future and so was Carla for that matter, both Carla and Steve sitting on the stairs to the upstairs of the Rover's

"That's probably the calmest she's been, thank you" 

"It's alright" Carla smiles "How are you all coping?"

"We'll be fine, we're just trying to grieve as a family but she can be a bit stubborn when it comes to us trying to help"

"Cut from the same cloth us, give her time ok? I could try and convince her to go out with me, maybe take her to a spa or something, she'll like that"

"Yeah I mean, it might do her some good to be with someone who's been through a similar thing"

"It was difficult when I lost my baby girl, it felt like the world was punishing me for not wanting her in the first place but she'll learn to cope just give her time…I'll see what I can do, here's my address to the hotel I'm staying at-"

"I'll give it to her if she wants to escape to see you, thank you for settling her again, I appreciate it"

Steve smiles as Carla gives him a quick hug before leaving the pub and heading back to the hotel, Steve leaving the piece of paper of Carla's hotel address by the phone, poking his hand through the bannister and placing it on top of the dial pad before heading upstairs, not noticing Peter was waiting there listening to every word which was said, it cut him deep Carla talking about her daughter like that, Peter taking a photo of the piece of paper on his phone before leaving the pub in a rush to get into his car and head off to the address where Carla was staying at.

There was a knock on the door to her hotel room, Carla was lounging around in a silk nightdress, she grabbed her robe wanting to cover up knowing it would be Michelle behind that door, so she thought, she knew it was be highly inappropriate her slinking around in something deemed way too sexy for feelings of grief but she went to answer it, opening the door and that's when her heart stopped, she could hear it beating in her head and that was when she came back into Peter Barlow's orbit almost four months prior to them seeing each other previous…


	6. Chapter 6

"Carla"

"I should've known Steve wouldn’t be able to keep his gob shut!" 

"He didn’t tell me where you were…"

"Oh so there are such things as telepathy then, Peter?"

"Oh stop with your sarcy remarks Carla, are you going to let me in then?"

"Be my guest"

They didn’t say anything, how could they? Two ex-lovers in a room the atmosphere was bound to be awkward of course it was but Carla sighed grabbing a wine glass from the mini-bar in her room and pouring herself a small tipple of red, Peter placing his hand over hers to stop her from doing that, and it was with that one pathetic touch on her hand she broke down, tears trailing slowly down her cheeks creating a path of emotional pain, each one adding that extra amount of hurt into Carla's pool of hatred and self-loathing 

"Don’t" 

"Carla, this is not the answer"

"Then what is Peter!" she shouts "Please inform me because I'd really like to know!"

"Don’t be mad at me-"

"Oh the nerve you have Peter Barlow, get out of my sight otherwise I'll call security to remove ya!"

And it was with that glance she gave him, Peter saw the lust in her eyes, the way she subconsciously checked him out, he chucked his jacket onto the bed and Carla sighed audibly pouring the glass of wine Peter stopped her doing moments prior and taking a generous gulp of it, she knew she shouldn’t have and that was when Peter took the glass and held it to his lips tilting it, the smell goading him to give in before Carla slapped him on the face

"What the hell do you think you're doing?!" she shrieks trying to swipe the glass off him knowing one drink could kill him, Peter holding her finally scrub-free wrist as she groans in response giving him a shove causing a smirk from Peter knowing he had her right where he wanted her

"If you're drinking yourself to death then I'm joining in too"

"You have a nerve Peter, a real nerve"

"Well it's your choice…"

"Fine, what do you want?"

"Honestly? To see if you're ok and that you're well-"

"Oh save it! You've come here to get in my bed, your girlfriend not satisfying you enough?"

"When did I say anything about wanting to fuck you Carla?"

"Just leave will you" she snaps knowing she just revealed her true intentions, she was desperate for Peter to show her deteriorating body some love 

"You don’t want me to leave, you want me to fuck you"

"Oh shut up Peter"

And that's when he took action grabbing the sides of her face and forcefully kissing her his tongue pressing at the seam of her lips waiting eagerly to allow it to enter, she reciprocated her tongue battling with his for the search of dominance, Peter pulling the knot on Carla’s robe, his lips never leaving hers only to gasp for breath every now and then, it was a sloppy, messy, lust filled moment between two people who had a very deep emotional connection with each other, Carla’s hands were in Peters hair as she shrugged her robe to the floor, Peter lifting her up causing Carla to instinctively wrap her legs around Peter’s middle causing his hands to roam to her arse cheeks giving them as squeeze causing her to gasp at the contact, Peter placing her down on the bed taking time to lick his lips at the suggestive silk night gown she was wearing, he knelt at the end of the bed trailing a finger from Carla's inner ankle over her calf to her knee then her inner thighs then to the place he cherished most, the place where his fingers would explore, where his thickening cock would explore, desperately he took his jeans off and his boxers before removing Carla’s sodden satin knickers, then her satin night gown, Peter loving how wet she was for him, Peter’s hands being dragged through her folds nipping her clit causing her body to jerk in response and the sudden impulse of pleasures

“Yes Peter!”

"Hmm you like that?"

"Yes!"

At this point she was dripping wet for him but he didn’t care how messy things got or how crazy they became he wanted her to surrender herself fully to him, come as hard as she wanted, or needed in her case, Peter bending down to run his skilled tongue through her deliciously wet folds which were dripping with baited desire, he flicked his tongue over her clit, around her clit and then he stabbed it causing her to whimper in desire, he added fingers, shoving them into the opening of her pussy and thrusting them in and out each thrust causing her body to jerk in response to the assault he was doing on her body, he sucked on her clit which instantaneously brought her to her peak, her body trembling as her orgasmic juices ran down his hand, he smirked using his sopping wet hand to make himself ready for her, guiding his hand from the base of his cock to the tip watching Carla's hooded eyes flutter open and with that, he pushed himself into her, her legs wrapped around his middle and pulling him in closer so she could feel his weight bearing down on her, with every thrust he grunted and every time he pushed into her she pushed her hips up to meet his groin causing the tip of his cock to slam into her cervix Carla letting out whimpers of desire each time it did and it was those little whimpers which made Peter release his load into her as her muscles convulsed around his throbbing member as he collapsed onto her sweat covered body, he rolled over, finding the strength to pull the duvet over themselves

"Mmm that was-"

"Amazing" Peter whispers as Carla snuggles up into the warmth of his body as Peter wraps his arms around her naked body, a thin sheen of sweat still there, he brings his hands up to touch her forehead, where a slight scar from the knock to her head still remained, he kissed it gently as she rests her head on his chest, Peter running a hand through her hair

"How did you know where I was?"

"Call me a stalker, but I eavesdropped on your conversation with Steve when you were sitting on the stairs together"

Carla's heart started racing, did he hear her talking about their daughter? She never spoke to him about her and that was something she was worried about, she didn’t know how to speak about her to him, she would just choke up every time she came close to doing it, but she knew that Peter would never judge her for not having the words although she may seem like she would, she was scared in case Peter felt different about their daughter compared to what she felt, she knew the conversation was about to crop up but she decided to compose herself in case it did, as it might not she thought

"Stalker" 

"I heard you talk about our little girl"

"Oh…right, and?"

"I'm so sorry for everything I put you through, I really am"

"I know you are, water under the bridge?"

"Water under the bridge"

At this point she wanted to cry, she wanted to tell Peter what was on her mind and the fact that this was going to be another missed opportunity to talk to him about their daughter, she decided to do it to get it over and done with, especially as they weren't tearing chunks out of each other, she just didn’t know where to start apart from a croaky whisper

"I miss her"

"I know, she was a piece of you, that only you knew”

"I never got to hold her, feel her inside of me, and it hurt Peter, it really did, that's why I needed to see Michelle, I needed to let her know that she wasn’t alone and that it would get better and she would start to feel human again"

"Do you want to know something?"

"Go on"

"You had something special you know, you got to watch her grow inside of you, watch her get bigger and that's special to you, you knew her better than everyone else, better than me" Peter smiles tearfully as Carla shifts her body onto his straddling him so she could look up into his eyes which resembled the hurt and pain of past mistakes, she wanted to forget one last time, she wanted to live her life, not in fear of the past for once, she loved Peter

"I love you"

"What?" he stammers, confused, these words, he wanted to hear them for so long and the fact that they were coming out of her mouth prior to those months ago where she felt betrayed that Peter lied to her, he leaned forwards to kiss her softly on the lips and that was when they made the promise that they would be there for each other forever more, even if their time together got cut short by the fatalities of Carla's health

"I. Love. You"

"Me too, get some rest , I'll be here I won't leave"


	7. Chapter 7

Peter stayed the night, their naked limbs interlocked in complete awe with each other, they slept, had sex, then slept some more, their pent up desires from being away from each other for months finally came ahead in the room they were currently in. Carla woke up to an odd sensation, the sensation of Peter's rock hard cock digging into her arse cheek, she sighed, pushing her body up against his wondering what elaborate lie he told to his girlfriend, she didn’t want to think about it ,she couldn’t not now anyway not when things were so…confusing, she needed a plan, a plan which involved Peter in her life, she knew she was bound to get hurt but she finally retreated into her inner self and decided she needed Peter in her life, but there was hope, hope that Peter may not hurt her again and that was what kept her going. 

Peter woke up to Carla's body pressed up against his, he nuzzled into her neck kissing the skin softly, his tongue leaving residue, she turned over to look in his eyes, she gave him a poke in the cheek and sighed, he hooked her leg over his hip so he could push his groin into her, she smiled leaning up to kiss him softly on the lips before wrapping one of her arms around his neck, the other reaching down to fondle with his cock, she poised the tip into her entrance, he pushed into her gently, she moaned at the feeling of him burying himself inside of her, she sighed as he rocked himself against her, her clit being stimulated by the base of his cock, he wanted this to be about her, he wanted her to come first, so he continued to rock his hips slowly against her to prolong the sensation, her legs beginning to tremble as she arcs her body away from Peter pulling her close as she hums lustfully releasing around his sated cock, Peter following her lead and releasing into her, their juices mingled together as they melt into each other's embrace.

"Hmm, what a way to start the morning"

"We could have many more mornings like that if you let me help you"

"Does your girlfriend know you’re here?"

"No…she doesn’t"

"Then why come here then?"

"To be honest I wanted to see how you were, I wasn’t expecting to end up in bed with you" Peter rolls his eyes as Carla groans dipping her head into her hands in exasperation, she was confused she knew she loved Peter but if he still had a girlfriend she wasn’t going to be the other woman, she wanted Peter to choose between her and his girlfriend and that was something she detested, she wanted to be selfish and have him all to herself, that was what a trusting relationship was wasn’t it? 

"So why did you go back to Weatherfield then?"

"Well my girlfriend wanted to see my family, is that such a bad thing?"

"No, I guess not but I will tell you something that is bad-"

"Sneaking off to have illicit sex with you, I guess"

"Oh don’t act so nonchalant about it, at least I'm not with anyone, whereas you are the biggest cheat going right now and basically taking advantage of my vulnerability" she snaps somewhat annoyed at him thinking it was ok for him to be able to sneak off and fuck her at the click of his fingers, there was no getting away from him, but Carla knew that in the back of her mind she was addicted to Peter and that they would most likely find the strength to be together instead of sneaking around and using each other for sex to get satisfaction

"Taking advantage!" Peter exclaims "you have a nerve, you were the one who revealed you wanted to fuck me so don’t give me that, I just acted to the signals I was getting"

"Signals, when have you ever acted on signals" she mutters which infuriates Peter quite a bit, she made him sound like some sort of sex pest and that really angered him, why couldn’t she see that he was trying to love her, yes he was going about it in the wrong way but why did she have to be so flamin' stubborn about it, he thought, he just wanted her but he didn’t want to give up his life in Weatherfield right now, it would look a bit weird if he darted off after only being back for a matter of weeks

"Are you trying to push me away, because you’re not going to do it!"

"Oh shut up Peter, you're really muddling my brain more than it needs-"

"Who was that?" Peter panics as Carla groans in response knowing it was Michelle at the door, she never ordered room service so it have to be Michelle wanting to go to the spa, Carla biting her lip getting out of bed and chucking her robe around her and chucking Peter his clothes she ripped off last night, dragging him up and pushing him into the bathroom, Peter locking the door, it made him feel weak, that Carla wanted to keep him her dirty little secret, but he was intrigued how she was going to cover her messy sheets

"'Chelle!" Carla exclaims giving her friend a hug as she puts her bag by the floor, Michelle welcoming the contact, before heading into Carla's room noticing the messy sheets and the lack of tidying Carla had as well as Carla's silk nightgown which she left on the bed, Michelle smirking

"What?" 

"Unlike you to leave your very suggestive nightwear lounging around for me to see, who did you fuck last night then?"

"Michelle Connor, who said I fucked anyone last night?"

"The fact your sheets are a mess, your nightgown is on your bed and also by the way your cheeks have gone flush with embarrassment" 

"Michelle, I have you know I am not fucking anyone"

"Hmm, then why is your bathroom door locked then? Secret admirer in there?" she grins going to push the door noticing it was locked, Peter panicking on the inside trying to hide behind the shower curtain, as Carla glares at her but thanking the gods that Peter had the door locked

"Look, it's none of your business actually, so are we going to this spa then?"

"Actually do you mind if we don’t, I just don’t want anyone getting the wrong idea" she gestures to her tummy as Carla smiles softly, bringing her in for a hug as she starts to cry gently into her shoulder

"I know what will cheer you up, a shopping trip in town"

"I don’t know Car, I kind of want to find out who your mystery man is? You going to do him again?" she grins as Peter's heart beats in anticipation at the question just asked, Carla sighs at Michelle's question, she didn’t know how to answer, no doubt she would end up having sex with Peter again, it seemed to be an addiction she couldn’t cure, but she decided she would lie, but something guilt tripped her into not lying, it was the tears forming in Michelle's eyes, tears of grief she couldn’t lie when Michelle was so vulnerable even if it was about her own love life

"He was pretty good to be honest, I need to give him my number so I will need you to wait in my car whilst I get ready and say goodbye to him"

"Well I don’t know what your car looks like do I?"

"Black Merc in the back carpark" Carla smiles handing her the keys as Michelle rolls her eyes "Now go, please"

"You better not get another session in before we head off ey? I don’t want to be waiting around for ages"

"You won't" Carla promises "Now go!"

"Alright, alright" Michelle grins going up to the bathroom door "Oi! Don’t treat her bad yeah, she's had a lot of upset in her life-"

"Michelle!"

"Alright, I'm going, have fun saying goodbye"

Making sure Michelle was definitely gone, although she wasn’t sure after poking her head around the door of her hotel room, she went back into the room and sighed running a hand through her hair, that could never happen again, her family could not come that close to finding out who she slept with, their reactions scared her, as well as her impending health

"You can come out" 

"So you'd fuck me again then?"

"The size of your ego, I knew it would swell to the size of the world"

"Look Car-"

"Save it, I don’t want to talk about what just happened. I need to get changed and I need you to stay here until we're out of the area so there is no way she finds out about this, I'll text you when we've left, you're welcome to use the shower if you want"

"Oh how very kind of you, I feel like I'm some sort of dirty secret"

"Well you are, no one can find out about this little thing we have going on, I mean it, no finding out about how I've been fucking you on and off, and no finding out about my kidneys"

"Fine by me"

"Good" she replies smothering lipstick over her lips, Peter swiping her hair to the side pressing his lips to her skin as she sighs before releasing herself from his embrace, Peter

"I'll text you when it's safe to leave"

"Ok"

"Is that all you have to say? 'Ok'?

"What else do you want me to say? Carla can I have a goodbye kiss?"

"Oh hark at it! See yourself out"

And with that she was walking down the stairs and out of the hotel to meet Michelle in her car, she smiled upon sitting in the driver's seat as they make their way to the shopping centre, Carla sending a quick text to Peter telling him it was safe for him to leave while Michelle was getting her a parking ticket. They headed for their favourite shops, designer gear, they wanted the best Carla didn’t care how stuck-up she sounded she wanted to buy some things to cheer herself up from her illicit sex with Peter, she couldn’t help mull over the way he took control of her body again, it was like she was utterly powerless, she just let him pleasure her, the ways his hands…no, she couldn’t think about this, not now she didn’t want to get herself flustered so she loaded high rise jeans into her basket, she couldn’t believe how bad she was being now, Michelle was trying to make conversation with her but all she could think about was Peter and the way his hands…no, she went to the dress rack leaving Michelle confused, she looked at a red silhouette dress which would maximise her figure, she loaded it into the basket, she walked past the underwear section with Michelle by her side, she sniggered at Carla's obvious flustered state she knew she was thinking about the guy she met last night and Michelle couldn’t help but find out more about Carla's fella

"What?"

"Alright, keep your head on Mrs!"

"I'm sorry I just have a lot on my mind"

"No, you have someone on your mind, so give me details, was he good in bed?"

"He took complete control of my body" Carla smirks but her heart was racing at the thought of Michelle possibly figuring out who it was, she was scared that when this came out in the open she was going to upset a lot of people, especially Michelle and she couldn’t have that, not whilst she was so vulnerable, she wanted to put Michelle first, but she couldn’t help think about Peter and the way his hands…she was doing it again thinking about more illicit sex, this needed to stop, she needed to do something to get rid of these thoughts

"Hmm you should've let me meet him"

"I don’t think you would like him"

Did she reveal too much, by the look on Michelle's face she did, she just had to cover, she was good at covering now wasn’t she? She just needed to throw together a plan in her mind, and she did

"-plus I don’t think he would want to meet the family, I mean Jenny would be enough to scare him off, I doubt I'll even see him again”

"You still look awfully shifty, but as long as you're happy I don’t care if I meet him or not, why don’t we head to good old Ann Summer's in case you end up meeting him again?"

"Michelle!"

"Sorry, come on let's pay for this, you're obviously getting a bit too flustered"

So they paid for their clothes and Michelle took Carla for a coffee and a sandwich, they talked about their late children, Carla reassuring Michelle that it would get easier and that if she wanted to get away for a bit there was always a place down in Devon for her, she even gave her the address, Michelle thanked her of course, and wondered whether she would actually be needing this address, maybe it would do her good being by the coast, Carla was sat there picking away at her nail polish, Michelle sighing rolling her eyes, she was obviously thinking about her very passionate night again

"Right give me your phone"

"What? Why?"

"Ring him"

"Michelle! No that's so embarrassing"

"For god's sake Carla take it from someone who knows, never let an opportunity to be happy pass, you may regret it"

"I just need some time to think, I try to make sense of last night in my head and I just end up thinking about what he didn't do to me all day today-"

"Woah! Too much information"

"You said you wanted details you dirty mare!" Carla exclaims tilting her head to one side as Michelle rolls her eyes grabbing her phone and seeing a bunch of misses messages from Johnny, she sighed the prospect of a family meal didn’t appeal to her right now especially without Carla being there it was never the same so she decided to ask her if she wanted to come, she knew what the answer would be and it as most likely a flat out no, but maybe she would be pleasantly surprised

"Johnny wants a family meal"

"Thank god he knows I'm not here"

"Please come, it's never the same without you…for me, please"

"You do realise Nick's still there don’t you? That's going to go down well"

"Please Car, it'll be chill we can make fun of Jenny getting drunk, and you can see Aidan and Kate"

"Fine, you've twisted me arm, I guess I better get you back, Steve'll be wondering where you are" 

"Thank you, hey! You can wear your new frock you bought for no reason what so ever!"

"Funny, come on. Let's head back"

A family meal, Carla thought, what would be the harm in that…?


	8. Chapter 8

Carla attending a meal with her family at the bistro everyone shocked to see her, peter decides to go on holiday with toyah until carla leaves causing some confusion for toyah, peter covering saying it was a surprise causing her to fall fir it, carla saying her goodbyes to her family and saying she’ll be back for another visit, Carla driving back to devon finding peter on her doorstep. Let's him in they talk about peters plan to get her better, so buying the rovers and pocketing half the profits unbeknown to toyah for experimental treatment abroad

"Why have you ordered seven seats when there's only six of us?"

"Oh Aidan, don’t treat your sister like she doesn’t exist"

"Carla?!" 

"Trust you to make a grand entrance, hey sis" Kate smiles giving Carla a peck on the cheek as she smiles wrapping her up in a hug as Carla straightens her leather jacket out, after Kate then Aidan, then Johnny who smiled curiously at Carla's sudden return

"What the…?"

"Nick" Carla bites her lip glancing to Michelle who dips her head in embarrassment for Carla, Kate doing the same, well practically everyone felt the awkwardness of the situation, at that point Carla could reveal her little rendezvous with Peter, that would definitely cause a stir 

"What brings you back here?"

"Nick"

"Not now Leanne"

"I'm just here to see my family, then I'll be off again, unless there's a problem with that, so I'll have a glass of sparkling water as I'm driving"

"Yeah…yeah sure"

"Looks like you've been busy" Carla rolls her eyes bitterly glancing to Leanne who had a baby swaddled against her chest glaring at Carla, Michelle getting up to pry Carla away from the situation and sitting her down next to her not really wanting to cause a scene 

"You don’t need him Carla" 

"I know I don’t, right let's order because I'll have to head off soon…" 

The Connors talked about Underworld, Carla catching the odd glance from Nick along with Leanne staring her down as if she was here to steal Nick back, little did she know Carla thought, she wondered where Peter was and if he would just jump out of nowhere to surprise her knowing that it would probably be the sort of thing which would happen especially if they ended up arguing before they parted ways yesterday, she was probably being paranoid, and then something happened, someone entered the bistro, it was Simon and Peter, and to say that Carla was curious was an understatement, she excuses herself to go to the bathroom, Michelle biting her lip at the awkward union which was going to happen.

"Could you put a bottle of champers on ice for me Leanne?" Carla smiles handing a couple of bank notes over to Leanne who nods leaving both Carla, Peter and Simon at the bar together

"Carla!"

"Hey Si, how are you?"

"Good, we need to get packing dad"

"Going anywhere nice?" Carla questions intrigued of where this conversation was going to go, she didn’t want to pry but she was definitely curious as to why Peter was making a run for it, was it because he slept with her yesterday? She thought it was the most likely thing considering the likelihood of her coming back to the street was possibly very high and Peter obviously didn’t want to introduce his ex-wife to his girlfriend, that would be too awkward to cope with right now, for the both of them

"Somewhere down south in Devon, that's where you live isn't it?" 

"It is, so what are you planning to do down there then?"

"We're doing this water sports thing, dad thought it would be a good idea I don’t know why, he's so embarrassing especially when he wants to participate" 

"Oi! I am not embarrassing"

"You should pop by on the way, we could have a catch up couldn’t we Si?" she replies smartly as Peter glares at her Carla smirking intrigued to see if Simon would reveal who Peter's girlfriend was, Simon frowned glancing between the two adults in curiosity until realising this must be awkward for them, so he decided he would save them from the situation they were in realising it wasn’t fair

"It was nice speaking to you Carla but we need to get going" Simon smiles giving her a quick hug again as he leaves the bistro dragging Peter by the arm, Leanne handing her the bucket of champagne on ice, Carla smiling and taking it to the table 

"You alright, sorry I should've told you he was back"

"It's alright, not my problem anymore but I don’t divorce kids so…where were we?"

Little did Michelle know…

Carla headed off back to Devon after packing her bags, she couldn’t believe Peter had the audacity to go to Devon with his girlfriend, the place where she lived, the cheek of it made her furious and the more she thought about it the angrier she got, this needed to stop, she need to confess her love for Peter Barlow because this was doing her head, all the skulking around and all the missed opportunities, and the sex, she needed that connection with Peter and the longer she was apart from him the longer she was left lusting after him, it scared her how much she missed him, these feelings just wouldn’t go away, she arrived home and pulled up onto her drive and there was Peter with a smug look on his face, Carla rolling her eyes and she rolled her suitcase into her house, Peter following her and practically making himself at home

"You have a nerve"

"Oh don’t act so surprised"

"I'm not to be honest, it takes a cheat to pull off these sorts of stunts…oh wait"

"Funny, you should be a comedian, look I want to help you get better I actually thought of plan y'know it may seem a bit crazy but right now I think it could work?"

"I'm not being the other woman Peter"

"You wouldn’t be not really, well I might need you to be with the plan I have in-store"

"Let's see how stupid the words that come out of your mouth are going to get then" she sighs leaning on the kitchen counter, closing her eyes as Peter sighs, wrapping his arms around her waist and leading her to the sofas knowing she was probably feeling a little light headed, she smiled at him for helping her especially when he was still mad at her for the way she left things after their little fumble in her hotel room, maybe it was time to let her guard down, but she was worried about getting hurt, but did it matter when her body was already hurting her in such a way where she could die, as crass as it sounded, she would rather die in Peter's company, happy and in love and she knew he loved her deep down, he just wanted to have someone to go back to when Carla pushed him away, she wouldn’t blame him, not really, she would be the same if she was in his shoes, and that's when she decided to find out about this plan

"Well how about I invest in a business right, I've been saving up a lot of money from when I was in Portsmouth and working here that time, I buy a business with my girlfriend, we create a savings account and I pocket half of the profits into that account for you to have so you can go for the treatment abroad, I will do anything to save your life Carla I mean it-"

"And this plan, it works right?"

"It does yes, I've ensured that I will be doing the books, my girlfriend is pretty bad at all of that sort of stuff anyway"

"Hmm and what's in it for me, I just wait until we have the money, then what? You'll be all mine, we could just enter a relationship?"

"Yes"

She still seemed skeptical

"I don’t know Peter I mean I really appreciate you trying to help me an' all that but what about your girlfriend, your family, this is a recipe for disaster"

"Stop being so negative Carla, no one will find out will they? Not if you stay here and don’t go back, they won't suspect, what dy'a say?" he smiles sitting next to her on the sofa as she closes her eyes trying to believe this plan could actually work, she looked at the hope in Peter’s warm brown eyes, so she found herself agreeing

“Ok, let’s do it”

“Come here” Peter smiles bringing her into a hug as she relaxes into his embrace, Peter running a hand up and down her arm to comfort her, she tilted her head up to look at him she smiled as they continued to cuddle feeling the warmth of each others body, she hated to admit it, but she really did miss the domesticated set up she had with Peter and Simon, but this, it made her feel hopeful for the future

“How have you been feeling?”

“Nauseous when I eat, tired, the same old but more enhanced, I have an appointment soon, I don’t really know how it’s going to go, I mean I know I've gotten worse but I guess we’ll see”

“I can come with you if you want?

“You’d do that?”

“Of course I will, I want to help you, that’s if you still want me to?”

“I do, stay? For tonight?”

“I can't, Si’s probably wondering where I got to, I'm sorry" he replies apologetically looking into Carla's eyes and seeing the unshed tears in them, she was obviously struggling to keep up the façade as her phone rings, Carla sighing and picking it up seeing Michelle's contact, she raises an eyebrow as Peter glances to her phone screen

"'Chelle?" Carla questions putting her on loudspeaker as her cries ring out through the receiver Peter putting an arm around Carla's shoulders

"He lied to me Carla" Michelle cries as Carla raises her eyebrows confused at where this conversation was going, little did she know this would implicate Peter to some extent

"What's happened 'Chelle?"

"Oliver, he's Steve's"

"What? Leanne's kid?" Carla glances to Peter who had his eyebrows raised in shock running a hand through his hair as Carla closes her eyes not really wanting to imagine the pain Michelle was going through, Peter planting a kiss on her forehead knowing it must be hard for her to talk about the loss of child

"He lied to me Carla, to my face, David handed, you know, to Steve then he just fell in love and he revealed he was the father, I thought he was deluded or something at first but then-"

"Oh darlin' do you want me to come back up again?"

"No, you've only just got back, it wouldn’t be fair to ask you-"

"'Chelle, I can come up if you want, and plus I offered you didn’t ask"

"No, I have Maria, Johnny, Jenny, Aidan and Kate, I'll be fine I think, well not fine"

"Let me know if you want me to come up yeah? And don’t struggle on your own ok?"

"I won't, look I better head off otherwise I might wake Liam, speak soon Carla"

"Bye 'Chelle" Carla sighs ending the call looking at Peter who brings her in for a hug causing Carla to cry softly into his chest knowing it must be hard for her to deal with this on top of everything, she looked up at Peter to plant a soft kiss on his lips Peter lying across the sofa, with Carla on top of him as she drifts off peacefully in his arms, he sighed shifting slightly to check his phone noticing 20 missed calls between his girlfriend and Simon, he knew what they were about but he couldn’t bear to leave Carla, not whilst feelings of her daughter were circulating her mind, it would be very thoughtless for him to leave her now, he just needed to think about a plausible excuse for Simon, if he bought his excuse then his girlfriend would, right?

"Sorry I've soaked your shirt"

"If you need to cry you need to cry darlin, look why don’t you grab a bath and I'll make you something up, I bet you haven't eaten since the meal at the bistro" 

"Hmm that would be lovely, thank you although I could think of much better things to do than have food…"

"Go on, let me just make some calls yeah?"

"Hmm don’t be too long, we wouldn’t want the water to get cold"

"We'll just have to heat it up again then, wont we?"

"So cheesy…I'll be waiting"

And that was that, Carla sauntered up the stairs to her bedroom leaving Peter to contemplate his next move to save Carla's life


	9. Chapter 9

carla and peter make their relationship official after months of dancing around feelings for each other. Carla knows that it would be difficult for Peter to run the rovers on his own so she suggests him staying with toyah to make it more plausible. 

"Where are you taking me?" Carla quizzes as Peter drives her towards Weatherfield, Carla raising an eyebrow confused noticing how they were getting very close to the street

"Well I wanted you to see my new business" Peter smirks as Carla rolls her eyes, grabbing the blanket from the back of the car to wrap around her more slender figure, Peter sighing at her obvious exhaustion, turning up the heating for her to get comfy as he pulls up onto Rosamund Street

"What are we doing here?"

"Well you see the Rover's?"

"Yeah, what about it, it's a pub…"

"Alright, well I bought it, 100% in my name and I will pocket half the profits for you" 

"Peter! Are you sure you can run that, surely temptation…"

"Carla, me doing this for you…it will make it worthwhile to fight the temptation plus I have my girlfriend keeping an eye on me, so don’t worry"

"I just don’t want my impending death to put you back on the sauce, that's not fair" she panics, she needed Peter in her life she wanted him to live with her in harmony, she wanted to show the world that she and Peter could be together again, she wanted time to trust him, they had been dancing around each other for so long and none of them really knew what this was, was it a casual relationship, Carla didn’t know, she hoped she was considered as Peter's girlfriend, maybe it was time to make things official

"It won't, I promise you, I know that my promises haven't meant much in the past but right now I just want to help you and love you…"

"Me too, look we need to think about heading back… I have my appointment later"

"I know, I can't believe they upped your medication again, so much you actually have to travel to Manchester to see a proper specialist now"

"I know, but it's not a big deal I can stay overnight and you're nearby, what are you saying to, you know, about your disappearances?" she didn’t want to mention the world girlfriend because it was starting to really affect her, she knew her and Peter were very close right now and loved each other but she didn’t want to make assumptions but little did Carla know that Peter had noticed she stopped referring to his girlfriend, well, as his girlfriend and this indicated she wanted something a bit more serious than furtive little fumbles at her property when he was at one of his 'meetings'

"Well I just said that me and some of my mates from the group enrolled me onto one of the programs they do now it's to stay over at a mates house and help them through their addiction when they're struggling, and they can return the favour if they want, she seems to be buying it so don’t worry about it, I hate lying but if it's what we need to do to get you better then so be it"

"I hate lying too, I just want this nightmare to end"

"I know you do" he sighs "We'll get there, let's see what the specialist says yeah?"

"Yeah, come on then" 

After Carla's appointment with the kidney specialist her health was far from peachy, her kidney function had dropped to 25% and it was most certain it would probably drop more, Carla was scared and Peter was too, but he needed to remain strong for her, she practically cried all the way back to Devon, Peter helping her into the house as if she was an invalid which annoyed her but she knew she needed to accept the help as she felt really faint and nauseous from the car journey. Peter sat her down on the armchair as he made the sofa into the sofa bed it was, he got the duvet from upstairs quickly and pillows placing them down all unkempt and unorganised on the sofa bed, she smiled at his untidiness, then she snuggled down under the covers, Peter holding her close as she smiles gently, Peter pulling her into his body, her groin pressed against his, her breasts crushing against his chest, and her head, her head was snuggled in between that nook where his shoulder met his neck, and her arms, well they were wrapped around his neck, she was safe here

"You alright there?" Peter chuckles softly as Carla plants a kiss against his neck to say that she was ok

"Never better" she whispers loving the feeling of his body against hers

"Do you want to talk about it?"

"No, I just want to forget, I just want to be me again, I want to feel like my body is loved"

"It is" he smiles pulling back to kiss her fully on the lips, her tongue pressing against the seam of his lips as he accepts it, wrestling for dominance 

She moaned when she felt Peter's hand wander to her arse to give her arse cheek a quick squeeze, she gasps her hand raking through his hair as Peter squeezes her ass, she hooks her leg over his, pulling him in close, she moaned softly as Peter assaulted her neck with his lips and tongue, sucking on the places he knew so well, she sighed lustfully, closing her eyes, Peter's hands moving to the front of her leggings, pulling them down in one swift movement, Carla moving her hands from Peter's neck and to the front of his jeans, undoing the belt and pulling his boxers down, grinning in excitement at Peter's hard length in front of her, she grabbed hold of it, moving her hand from base to tip in a steady rhythm causing Peter to tilt his head back in appreciation for Carla's motions, she leant in to kiss him softly on the lips loving the look of desire plastered all over his face, Peter had his hands on the top of her underwear, he pulled them down as she grins wrapping her legs around his body, Peter lifting her up to straddle him, Carla taking her stop and bra off, Peter doing the same with his shirt as she poises the tip of his penis at her entrance before sinking down on top of it, she sighed

"Mmm baby"

Peter moaned as she rocks her hips in a slow antagonising speed, Peter's hands resting on her breasts tweaking her nipples as she sighs, his hands falling to her hips as she slowly rocks her hips building up a steady pace, Peter meeting her thrusts with his own as she whimpers at the sensation of Peter's cock hitting her cervix, she picks up speed, Peters hand stimulating her clit the best he could, Carla groaning tilting her head back and closing her eyes as she starts to feel her orgasm, her legs beginning the tremble, Peter thrusting up into her as she lets go screaming out in pure pleasure as Peter thrusts up one more time, a shudder occurs as he shoots his load into Carla, who was now resting her head on his chest exhausted from the motions which just happened, Peter lifting her up so he could slide out of her and hold her sweaty body close to him realising how exhausted she was, maybe sex wasn’t such a good idea for her right now

"Car" Peter prompts her to wake up, her eyes flutter open but practically flutter shut after, he lifts her up and places her on the bed beside him to let her sleep, he gets up and heads to the kitchen to make her a sandwich putting lashings of butter on it as well as plenty of cheese and pickle to make sure she was well fed, he grabbed some paper from the side and began to write her a note,

***

Carla,

I made a sandwich for you, it's in the fridge, I know I shouldn’t walk out on you but I need to get back to Si, call me if you have any problems or if you need to see me, I will try and see you if not I will be down at the weekend like usual, try and not do too many strenuous tasks as I don’t want you passing out, I can do all of them for you this weekend

Love Peter x

***

Peter walked back into the living room after placing the note next to the kettle knowing that Carla would most likely go to the kettle after her sleep to make a highly caffeinated coffee, he planted a kiss on her head, grabbing his keys and phone and headed out to his car to begin the journey to the cabin he was staying at with Simon and his girlfriend, he thought about a lot of things on the journey home, most of them worried him and he actually had some really uncomfortable feeling stir within him, but no he needed to make sure Carla was ok, would she live? Would he be deemed a match if he got tested? It was worth a shot, that's what he thought, at this point in time Peter was fearful that Carla could die, hearing the words from the specialists mouth instead of Carla's really put it in perspective and made him more fearful, he was definitely worried about the future, his future, with him, Simon and Carla.

Carla woke up with the space beside her remaining in a pile of tangled sheets, she sighed knowing Peter had to get back to Simon, right ow she wished he was here with her and that they were family again. She headed to the kettle seeing the note Peter folded, she smiled at the simplicity before reading it. After reading it she placed it down on the side and headed to the fridge to pick up the cheese and pickle sandwich, she took a bite but it just tasted so bland, everything did now, she hated to admit it but her body was fighting to stay alive and the fact that food was becoming a challenge to eat because of her body wanting to reject it, she knew she had to put all of her trust in Peter to get her the money for the treatment abroad. A while later she finished the sandwich, she wanted to be sick but she knew she had to fight it, she got the duvet which was spewed out all over the sofa bed and cuddled into it, she drifted back into a peaceful slumber her dreams contemplating her future, a future she wanted with Peter…


	10. Chapter 10

Carla was walking around the house doing her daily chores, the ironing, the hoovering which she knew she would mostly feel light headed doing, she sighed at how lonely she felt, she wanted Peter here all the time instead of at weekends, but she knew he had to let him help her, she was scared, scared of dying, scared of loving as well , the fact that she had manage to trust Peter surprised her to the extent that she felt lost in her mind. She wondered if she would be deemed weak from her family when this came out, because secrets always come out in the end don’t they? She was standing on her tip toes to put the glasses from the dishwasher in the cupboard above the sink, she came over all dizzy, colours blotting her vision, and she fell onto her side, her body spewed out on the floor, her eyes fluttered open, shards of glass in her hand, she then realised she must've been holding a glass when she fell, not that she remembered, she grabbed her phone from her pocket and dialled Peter's number.

"Carla?" Peter questions down the phone making a number of excuses to leave the pub, deciding that going to the shop to pick up some limes which they actually needed seemed viable right now

"I'm scared" Carla hyperventilates down the phone, Peter raising his eyebrows wondering what on earth was going on at Carla's place right now, his heart thumping in his chest

"What's happened sweetheart?" Peter questions concerned at Carla's rapid breathing and her shaky voice, he was scared that something bad might've happened to her and that was something he didn’t want to think about, he knew it would always be a risk leaving her, of course he did, but she needed the money for her treatment and right now, the money came first 

"I fell, there's glass" Carla cries as Peter gets in his car and drives off to Devon without thinking of a plan, he knew Carla needed him more right now, he stayed on the call with her to ensure that she was ok

"Where's the glass sweetheart?" Peter questions as he drives out of the area, Carla sobbing audibly through the receiver

"In my arm" she cries as Peter sighs driving towards the motorway as he listens to Carla's strained cries

"Alright calm down, can you get a clean tea towel from where you are and put some cold water on it and pull the shards of glass out, then apply pressure to it?" Peter questions as he enters the motorway ready to begin the journey towards Carla

"Yeah I think I can" Carla replies confidently, kneeling then grabbing a tea towel from one of the draws, using all of her strength to reach up and run some water onto the cloth hissing in pain every now and then which was audible to Peter, Carla pulling the shards of glass out then applying pressure to the slits in her arm with another clean cloth

"You ok Carla?"

"It hurts" she cries as Peter sighs, practically speeding down the motorway to get to Devon "Just hang in there sweetheart, let's talk about something else to take your mind off the pain-"

"Like what?"

"Have you been out recently?" Peter questions as Carla laughs slightly at the sweet idea Peter thought of the try and take her mind off the pain she was experiencing, before thinking long and hard

"I went for a walk, it actually made me feel a hundred times better, down by the harbour, I should show you it, it was really romantic" Carla replies wistfully, wanting to feel Peter's arms around her body trying to think deeply about her and Peter's relationship which actually made her quite sad

"That's good, sometimes going out can give you a bit of a boost cant it? I bet the fresh air did you the world of good"

"I think it did actually"

They continued to talk until Peter arrived there at 5pm that evening, he didn’t care about the lies he would have to create to fulfil his request to Carla. He used the spare keys he got cut to enter her house, seeing her sat up against the kitchen cupboard, her body tired and exhausted from all the strain she caused with doing the chores, he grabbed the first aid kit, and tended to her wound, cleaning with the anti-septic which made her hiss in pain, wrapping a sterile bandage around her hand, planting a soft kiss over it, he scooped her up into his arms and took her upstairs into the bathroom, her head propped up against his chest, he placed her down in bed, pulling the cover's over her, sliding in beside her.

"Thank you for coming" she whispers tiredly as Peter lifts her up, placing her in between his legs so he could feel her weakened body against his

"Do I need to get you medication or anything?" Peter questions as Carla looks up at him, her head still feeling rather heavy, nodding slowly

"Bring it all…" 

Peter headed downstairs, grabbing her medication box as well as a glass of water and some toast for her knowing that she probably hadn't eaten, not that she would probably enjoy eating it anyway, considering everything felt nauseating for her. He placed the box and the glass of water down on the side, Carla picking out her medications, Peter holding the glass of water to her lips as she places the tablets in her mouth, taking a swig of the water Peter was holding to her lips, downing the medication in one, he smiles holding a piece of toast to her lips for her to take a bite, she did scrunching her nose up at the cardboard-like taste in her mouth, she wanted to be sick, and she was.

"Oh darling, don’t worry I'll clean it up, let's get you a bath eh?" Peter sighs as Carla cries, Peter scooping her body up and propping her up in the armchair in the corner of the room, Peter running around, running a bath, chucking some muscle soothing gel in the water, before clearing up the bedding and taking it downstairs to be washed, Peter grabbing a new duvet and making the bed just in time for her bath to be ready

"Come here" Peter whispers lifting her body up into his arms, her head falling back in exhaustion from the day's events, Peter undressing her and placing her in the bath carefully, ripping off his clothes and getting in with her to help her wash her hair

"Car" Peter nudges her gently but got a groan in response, Peter smiling slightly at her sleeping state, holding her body close to him, running his hand through her wet hair, grabbing the shampoo, the same one she used the first time they were together, Peter taking a sniff of the heavenly substance and rubbing it into her head, making sure he worked up a suitable froth, before grabbing the shower head and washing it out, doing the same with the conditioner, focussing on the ends of her hair and washing it out, grabbing the shower gel and rubbing it into her body trying not to get her bandage wet

"Right let's get you back into bed eh?" Peter questions to Carla who just grunts in response, taking it as a yes, Peter dresses her naked body in a nightgown not bothering with the tediousness of her underwear, he lifts her up and places her under the now, flannelette sheets he put on to keep her warm, Peter sliding in beside her, lifting her up so she was settled against his body as he strokes her hair, wondering how something so precious could deteriorate within a week of him last seeing her, and that was when her eyes fluttered open for a bit only for her to mumble

"Love you"

"I love you too" 

Peter watched her sleep for a solid four hours, only getting up to get a glass of water or go to the toilet, trying his best not to disturb her. There was something magical about watching Carla sleep no matter how creepy it was, he wondered what she was dreaming about. Was it a future with him in it? Was it her imagining what it would be like if she was alive and healthy? He didn’t know and he didn’t think she would either, he watched as she shuffled around in bed, stretching her limbs alongside his as her eyes opened, a lopsided smile on her face, frowning at the change in bed sheets.

"You were sick, so I ran you a bath and washed all the vomit out of your hair, then put you into bed" 

"Thank you, I just feel so drained at the moment"

“You seemed to have gotten worse this last week, maybe we need to go back to the hospital again?"

"Please don’t force me, I really can't take any more hospital trips, it's already annoying having to go up to Manchester every month as well as seeing the doctor down here every week for a quick kidney function test"

"I will never force you sweetheart but it's just scaring me that you fell whilst you were alone"

"Fine, I did the hoovering and the cleaning, I was bored ok? There's only so much walking and daytime TV I can handle, I know we had an agreement-"

"I told you to let me do it at the weekends, this could've really set you back, please don’t do it again, let me do everything"

"Fine, I understand" she pauses to look up into Peter's eyes, his eyebrows raised "don’t give me that look"

"Sorry, I just want to make sure you understand why you shouldn’t do it"

"Well we know the reasons why don’t we? My blasted kidneys that’s what" she snaps as Peter sighs, tears filling her eyes as she slide out of bed, practically stumbling over, Peter rushing around to help her, holding her upright as he walks her to the bathroom

"Peter…"

"Yeah sweetheart?"

"Could you pass me some underwear and a tracksuit?"

"Here you are" Peter smiles chucking her bits into the bathroom for her, she smiles sliding them on, Peter helping her walk to the bed, sitting her down and snuggling her under the covers again, hoping that she wouldn't bite his head off for putting her back on bed rest, he slid in beside her grabbing the remote and tuning the TV on, wrapping her arms around his neck kissing him softly on the cheek before scrunching her nose up

"I bet I smell like vomit"

"You smell beautiful, so tell me what you need me to do"

"Clean the oven, do the rest of the hoovering, I've done all of upstairs, and unload the dishwasher for me, I was going to say make the bed but you've already done that so…"

"Alright, I'll do them tomorrow, you slept for a long time y'know"

"Yeah, I don’t sleep that good on my own, I like it when I can snuggle up to you, and hold you and when you hold me"

"I like that too"

"Can we go out?"

"I don’t think that's a good idea sweetheart, you have been sick and you're unsteady on your feet, maybe tomorrow yeah?"

"Oh please, I will promise you I will eat a full meal" she pouts her lips, the irresistible pout Peter found agreeing to her crazy idea of going out

Peter took Carla to his car, Carla showing him the route she walked, it was much more romantic in the dark, they came across a shack which sold food, Carla ordering them both a hot dog and a portion of chips to share, they sat watching the moonlight cascade over the sea ahead. Peter sat Carla on his lap, like she was some sort of child but she didn’t mind, she savoured every moment she felt close to Peter knowing that moments were scarce at the moment, kissing him softly on the lips. Soon after they continued the walk, Carla getting tired as usual, he offered her a piggy back she grinned and accepted, Peter carrying her towards the pier and sitting her down on one of the benches at the end of the pier for her to have a rest, Peter taking off her heeled boots to give her feet a rest, placing them on his lap and massaging them to relieve the swelling in them.

"Oh god" Carla grimaces as Peter raises an eyebrow confused, Carla glancing out to the sea seeing a guy proposing to his girlfriend, the bitter wind making the moment far from romantic, Carla cringing for the guy who was down on one knew, the woman standing next to him biting her lip, somehow Carla knew that he was about to get rejected

"What?" Peter chuckles as Carla points to the proposal, the woman slapping her now probably ex-boyfriend, the ring flying out of his hands and over the railing into the seat causing Carla and Peter to gasp audibly, wondering how bad this situation had become

"Well that was awkward" Carla mutters as the woman walks away, the guy chasing after her for forgiveness, Peter bringing Carla's head into the place between his neck and shoulder allowing her to close her eyes, Carla planting a kiss on his neck

"Let's head home" Carla whispers as Peter nods helping her stand to her feet, Peter lifting her onto his back so she didn’t have to walk, taking her back to his car

Peter drove back to the house, Carla sleeping peacefully next to him, she was so tired recently and that scared him, he knew this was a sign of her body getting weaker and the exhaustion creeping up on her unexpectedly scared him, he wondered if this was normal, but then he remembered the appointment with the kidney specialist, Carla needed a lot of rest as her body was effectively shutting down, of course she would be tired, irritable, and not hungry. Peter saw she had lost weight, especially when he could carry her around with ease today, that scared him, he always used to struggle a bit but now? He could lift her up into his arms no problem at all, her skin had faded from the olive tone it was to more of a pale one, it was starting to get obvious that she as dying now, he needed Carla and Carla needed him, only if there was some way to end this nightmare which was their life. He knew there was, kidney donation from a sibling, kidney donation from a stranger as she was on the transplant list, that could take ages and probably Carla would end up on dialysis, he didn’t want that for her, or the experimental treatment abroad, that seemed like the only viable option right now, he knew it was the only option considering he would never tell her family on behalf of her about her kidneys, she would hate him forever more, even if it did provide her with life.

"I bet you're fed up with lifting me around"

"You know I'll do anything to help you"

"Can we talk?" Carla opens her eyes as Peter smiles sitting beside her in bed, Carla curling into his side after Peter helped change her into her nightgown, helping her tie her hair up and hold her upright for her to brush her teeth, then helping her into bed beside him

"Of course"

"You know on the pier? That guy was proposing?"

"Hmm what about it?"

"Re-enact it for me" Carla smiles as Peter rolls his eyes, knowing she probably just wanted to make light of the current situation, so Carla shuffled up so she was sat on the edge of her bed, Peter going downstairs quickly to pick up an elastic band, and coming back up bending down on one knee holding this elastic band in his fingers, Carla sniggering at the use of the elastic band

"Carla Connor, will you marry me?"

"Yes"

They paused for a bit, Peter was expecting her to slap him, like the woman did on the pier but she didn't, Peter raising an eyebrow confused

"You were expecting me to slap you, werent you?"

"I was actually…you want to get married?"

"I do"

"But…we don’t even live together-"

"But we will, eventually, unless of course, you don’t want to marry me?"

"I do, I just, I need to make sure you're sure ok with this?"

"Peter, I've been thinking, on that car journey back, what's the point in hiding how we feel, why not do it properly, and if the worst happens with my health-"

"It won't-"

"Let me speak" she sighs closing her eyes "If the worst happens and I croak it, I want to be married to the person I love the most and that's you, please, marry me"

"I will marry you, but please don’t make me put that elastic band on your finger"

"It can be a temporary solution, how about that?"

"I'm treating you to the biggest bit of bling tomorrow" Peter shakes his head in amusement at what just happened in this room, looping the elastic band around her ring finger, Carla giggling at the simplicity before kissing Peter passionately on the lips, her tongue seeking entrance into his mouth as her hands fall to his jeans, Peter pulling away slightly wondering if this was a good idea, Carla frowning

"I don’t want to exhaust you further…"

"Well it'll give you an excuse to go out and buy me the ring in the morning, I promise I won't move" she teases moving her hand to massage his bulge through his trousers, Carla teasing him with her motions and a suggestive smile

"You are so irresistible you know that?"

"I have my ways" Carla smirks pulling him down onto her body, undoing the belt on his trousers and pulling them down greedily, then his boxers, Carla running her hands under his t-shirt to feel his skin on her hands, which she would soon be feeling on her body, Carla pulling the top over his head as Peter assaults her neck with his tongue, Carla gasping at the movements of his tongue as well as this thickening length on her inner thigh, Peter's hands following the curves of her body, pulling her nightdress off her body, Peter running a hand from her stomach to rest on the top of her underwear, Carla rolling her eyes at the slow movements of Peter's motions, lifting her backside off the bed allowing Petr to rip of underwear off, leaving her naked body for Peter to worship

"Get on with it"

"I'm sorry…I cant do this"

"What? You've done it many times before?"

"Your ribs, they're…how did it get this bad?"

She broke down into tears, her timid frame upset from the trauma of her condition, Peter scooped her up into his arms, holding her close as her body shakes violently, the strained sobs struggling to compete with the silence in the room. Peter lifted her up so he could hold her close, Carla settled in his arms, like a baby to be precise, crying into Peter’s chest. He was confused, how didn’t he notice that she was practically stick thin in the bath earlier, he wondered if his mind was playing tricks on him but he knew it wasn’t, he moved one of his fingers, tracing them over the bumps of her ribs, the protruding bone representing the physical signs of deterioration.

“I love you so much, don’t ever forget that” 

“I know its just, look at me, failing body, family full of problems, the only positive I have is you”

“Come here” Peter smiles moving his hand to spread her legs apart, his hands moving to her folds, wanting to hive her some distraction, he used his fingers to pleasure her, he didn’t want to push her too far, he slipped them into her entrance, she gasped in response, her body jerking every time he pushed his fingers against her walls

“Yes Peter!” 

“I love you” 

Peter moved his thumb to circulate her clit, Carla moaning loudly in response, her head tilting back, refusing to let herself orgasm just yet and let Peter pleasure her more, his fingers working magic on her body, thrusting in and out, pushing against her walls, Carla cried out, her body shaking as she released her juices smothered all over Peter’s hand, she sighed breathlessly, her breathing rapid, like she couldn’t keep up, Peter raising an eyebrow, concerned that he pushed too far

“Breath slowly love” 

“Thank you”

“Hey? What for?”

“Not…treating…me” she pauses “like…an…invalid”

“I don’t think we should continue, should we?"

"I agree" she smirks slightly resting her chest against his, Peter stroking her head until she fell asleep, moving her slumbering body to the side of him, placing it under the duvet, Peter running his fingers, again, over her rib cage, he kissed her forehead as she slept, heading downstairs to the kitchen to grab them both a glass of water for the night as well as to turn the washing machine on to clean the dirty bedding, he also grabbed some blankets from the airing cupboard to take up making sure Carla as warm enough at night, traipsing back up the stairs and chucking the blankets over Carla's sleeping body, placing her glass of water by the bedside table and getting in beside her naked frame, pulling her close to his body and holding her close wondering how much more the innocence of her body could deteriorate…


	11. Chapter 11

Peter woke around eight the next morning, it was Friday, he sent a message off to his girlfriend and said that his 'friend' needed him to stay an extra evening and that he had agree it with his sponsor, she reluctantly agreed but little did she know that Peter was heading into town with his bank card to buy Carla the most stunning engagement ring he could afford. She deserved it, after everything she's been through she deserved to be treated, he went to a jewellers near the harbour, wondering if Carla's tastes were still the same, he entered the shop and looked around some of the arrangements and that's when he saw it, a platinum band with a simple grey/silver diamond in a clasp, retailing for almost five grand, this was the one, Carla would love it, he knew that from the off, so he bought it. Peter walked down to the local bakery and picked up a couple of Danish pastries as well as cinnamon buns, the baker wrapping them up in a series of paper bags then he headed to the florists and got the most beautiful bouquet, well beautiful for Carla's tastes, and very rare which made them very special; a bouquet of black roses, some red ones thrown in there. He bought the arrangement of black and red roses to add a bit of generic romance in there as well as the extremely rarity of the black roses. He then headed back home with his variety of romantic gestures for Carla. He entered the house and headed upstairs, Carla sitting up against the headboard watching breakfast TV with her glass of water, trying to stay hydrated. Peter smiled standing in the doorway to the bedroom, Carla engrossed in morning TV was something he never thought he would see, she peered up at him inquisitively, raising her perfectly groomed eyebrow in anticipation.

"Hello…" she muses "I was wondering where you got to"

"I've been on a little adventure, and got you these" Peter grins whipping out the bouquet of red and black roses out from behind his back Carla gasping at the gesture; the arrangement of the flowers were perfect

"Where did you find black roses?" Carla beams taking a smell of the heavenly arrangement, the smell of the flowers wafting through her nose and relieving any reminder of her deterioration

"That is my secret, do you like them?" 

"I love them, but not as much as I love you, obviously"

"Good, now how would you like to go downstairs, as I have a little surprise for you" Peter grins taking Carla's hand in case she was a bit unsteady on her feet, she stumbled a bit, Peter instantly grabbing hold of her waist in case she fell, but she corrected herself and they made their way downstairs, Carla gasping at the pastries on the table

"Hmm thank you baby" 

"No problem I also have one more surprise for you"

And that was when Peter got down on one knee in front of Carla, holding out the ring which flashed a light grey colour due to the lighting in the room, Carla cried happy tears for the first time in months

"Carla Connor, will you marry me?"

"Yes, of course I'll marry you" she grins excitedly, Peter removing the elastic band from her ring finger they put there yesterday, and placing the new ring on her ring finger, a perfect fit, she wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him passionately on the lips, this felt good, she thought to herself, being Peter's fiancée it was definitely a welcome feeling to all the negativity in her life

"Now that is settled, you can enjoy your breakfast" Peter smiles leading her to the table which was covered in a table cloth, the pastries on a plate arranged somewhat fancily, causing Carla to smile taking one of the cinnamon buns from the selection and taking a bite, groaning at the welcome tastes in her mouth, Peter kissing her head as she indulges in the pleasure, he smiled at her, she was actually eating something that her body didn’t want to reject and that made him happy to the extent she was getting some calories inside of her

They finished breakfast and settled under the blanket on the sofa bed, curling up to one another, Peter running his hands through Carla’s hair as they slob around in their pyjamas all day without a care in the world, she climbed over him, straddling him and settles back down on his chest, enjoying hearing the thumping of his heart in his chest, luring her into calmer serenities. 

“Do you think I’ll live?”

“Hey? Wheres all this coming from?”

“It’s just a thought…I just wanted to go through some things I guess, get things off my chest”

“Ok, that’s fine whatever you want to make you feel better”

“If I don’t live, I need you to do some things for me… I need you to give people these-“ she smiles getting up and heading to the drawer of her desk in the study, finding the letters she wrote, handing them to Peter, Peter shuffling through them seeing one for Johnny, one for Aidan, Michelle and Kate

"Please don’t lecture me, they're stored in the top drawer of the desk in the study" 

"Do you need me to do anything else?" he didn’t like saying the words, he never would, it scared him that she as thinking that she as going to die and it scared him thinking that way too, his Carla…dying? The thought was more than enough to put him back on the sauce and drink himself into a state, he went along with the conversation anyway, knowing she needed to feel better about herself, and cover all eventualities, if this helped take the burden off her shoulders then so be it, he would continue…

"I have my will…you can read it if you want to ensure I'm doing the right thing…I changed it recently…" Carla mutters as Peter smiles taking the brown envelope off her and looking at the contents of it, her share of Underworld, given to Peter…he was confused, her 82% share given to him? But why, he didn’t suit that place at all and it was bound to cause a stir when her family found out about it, let alone the engagement and impending marriage. He then read the special mentions to Michelle, Kate and Aidan, the deeds of her property would also go half to Peter and half to Nick

"Why Nick?"

"He put half in, it's only fair" 

"I guess so…but why have you given me your share of Underworld?"

"Because I don’t want your last memories of me being frail and weak and if I did die, I want you to remember who I was in that way… I would trust you with that place, think of it as a 'lasting memory of me'. 

"Ok, fair point but you're not going to die, you know that?"

"I know, it's more of a 'just in case' scenario, I also have requests on how I should be buried as well…"

"Oh Car…do we have to do this?"

"We don’t, but I need you to know how to fulfil my wishes if I do die"

"Ok fine" he mutters 

"Right, I want to be buried and I want you to write something on my gravestone, something that represents me, you knew me the best Peter better than 'Chelle, better than my family, you know me for me and I expect you to do the right thing and write something that represents me"

"I know what I would put…"

"Hmm nothing too rude I hope" she narrows her eyes intrigued at what Peter would write on her gravestone, she wondered how he could think of something so ick but she guessed because it was because he knew her so well, Carla knew she would probably cry if he told her and that's what he did…

"I would say how you were a mother…a wife…a friend…a daughter and how you were the most beautiful and pure thing in this world"

"Mother" she whispers…it was true though, she was a mother, to an angel baby so to speak, memories flitting back to her previous pregnancy causing her to well up and let a few tears fall down her face, Peter instinctively wiping them away with his them, he knew he struck a chord with her, somewhere in that beautiful heart of hers, he smiled at the simplicity of her tears, ones full of emotion and some full of pain, he wondered if they foreshadowed what was to come, the mixed message of her tears not making sense.

"It's true though…"

"I know, it's just when you say it like that…makes you think what should've been"

"You're still a mother in my eyes, even if you don’t have living proof of it"

"I guess so, can we do something?"

"Like what?"

"Go out for a meal, I think I deserve it as your fiancée?" she replies cheekily wanting to get out of the house as well as to stop this depressing conversation they were having, she wanted to go out and be with her fiancé in a way that they could show how in love they were together, she wanted all those cringey romantic gestures; candle lit dinner as definitely on the top of her list, rose petals on the table cloth and to share a desert with the man she loved. She didn’t just want it, she needed it, to feel better about the foreshadowing of death in their lives

"Go on then, go and get ready" Peter grins as Carla beams squirming out of bed and rushing upstairs to get dressed, settling on a tight fitting emerald green dress, she was never a fan of green at the best of times apart from various khaki greens but when she saw this saucy number in the shop window she had to have it, she saved it for a special occasion, and this was definitely one of those, her fiancé as taking her out for a meal, she wanted to look perfect. She complimented her dress with a pair of black tights and her six inch high heeled boots, she knew she would blow Peter away. Then it was on to the makeup. She went somewhat simple, smoky grey/brown eyeshadow complimented with a quick flick of an eyeliner pen and layered on her eyelashes, was her very expensive mascara, and that was it, her look was complete, apart from one thing, her nude lipstick and with a coat of it, her outfit was complete. She sauntered down the stairs and Peter gasped, he could rip that dress off her

"You look amazing"

"Hmm good, the bathroom's all yours"

"Come here" Peter whispers swiping a piece of stray hair out of her face to gaze into her eyes, the mesmerising green eyes staring back at him in complete awe, he did the same, stare into her very soul, where the hurt and where the pain mingled together with the happiness of their engagement, he kissed her tenderly on the lips, ever so gently ensuring he didn’t ruin her makeup, she smiled after, watching him walk up the stairs to get ready, she felt happy, ever so happy, she was engaged albeit a little hastily but she felt as if she didn’t have the time to picky about when and where, she as on a life sentence, well, that's how it felt to her, Peter appeared a while later, handing her the leather jacket which would normally be glued to her she smiled loving how well Peter knew her, he took her hand and guided her to the car, opening the door for her as she smirks settling down in the passenger seat ready to begin the journey ahead of them, as two lovers

Peter pulled up into a car park in town, he sighed when glancing over to Carla, she was asleep, he didn’t have the heart to wake her, not if she was exhausted. They had an emotional day today and that probably wiped her out considering she was never one to talk about the way she was feeling. He gently nudged her, this caused her to stir in the seat next to him, she smiles reaching a hand out to poke him in the cheek, Peter watching in awe at how cute she was being, she hated the word cute but Peter felt as if there was no other way to describe it. He went to get a parking ticket for a few hours, he helped her out of the car and she smiled wrapping her arms around his neck and pecking him on the lips, a way to show him that she as alright. They headed towards the high street of her local town, Peter grinning from ear to ear at hat he had planned, they walked down the hill, Peter knowing all well he would probably have to carry her up it on the way home but he didn’t mind, he wanted to treat her, she definitely deserved it after the emotional conversations they had in the morning. He took her along the seafront and to a small restaurant which was beside the pier, the fairy lights around the hedges surrounding the beer garden twinkled, this put a smile on Carla's face, he led her in and he asked for the table he booked when Carla was getting ready, they were shown to one of the best tables in the restaurant, a sea view the orange and yellows of the sunset cascading over the murky turquoise water of the sea, he pulled out the seat for Carla to sit at which she took great pleasure in doing, her feet were tired from the walk, even though it was a short distance, it was a sign her body as deteriorating, she learnt to push these things to the back of her mind.

"This is very fancy" Carla beams impressed with Peter's choices, grabbing one of the leatherback menus in the holder and rummaging through the mains option, thinking to herself hat she wanted to eat, she felt quite nauseous so she decided on the king prawns mixed with a citrus yogurt and coated with sprinkles of basil, thinking the protein from the prawns would do her the world of good.

"I thought you'd like it, right up your street" Peter teases as she smirks in return. He glanced through the menu settling on the t-bone bone steak cooked to perfection on an open fire with what seemed to be a steak dripping sauce, a cheese one to be precise, his mouth salivated in response to reading the words on the menu, he order a large portion of chips with it, with all the seasonings he could imagine

"Are you calling me a snob?" 

"No…I just thought you might like it here, so then what are you ordering?"

"I was thinking the king prawns marinated in sweet chili with the side of citrus yogurt" 

"Hmm that sounds pretty nice actually but I think I will go for the t-bone steak with the cheese dripping sauce and a large portion of chips that way you can pick at them as well, I can tell you feel nauseous" 

"Ugh is it that obvious?"

"Only to me, love"

They sat and they ate their meals, well, Peter ate his Carla just ended up playing with her food and picking at it, she felt bad for Peter wasting his money but she knew that if she were to eat a substantial amount she would most likely throw up all over the table. Peter paid the bill and they began the walk back to the car. Peter carrying Carla up the hill noticing she was starting to get tired, he didn’t want her to pass out from over-exhaustion. He decided he would just carry her to the car, she rested her head against his shoulder and fell asleep, Peter unlocking the car and placing Carla as gently as he could in the passenger seat trying not to rouse her from her much needed sleep, he strapped her in then got in beside her, he stroked the hair away from her face as it fell when her head flopped towards him, he planted the softest of kisses on her forehead and at that point he knew that Carla's condition was deteriorating at a rapid pace, one too fast for him to stop or slow down…


	12. Chapter 12

September 2017

The truth will always out, Carla thought when snuggled up to Peter's naked body underneath the silk covers of her bed spread. She sighed at the thought of the relentless arguments from her family. She was getting married tomorrow, to Peter, it was in secret, she knew how much of a stir this could cause, that was the only thing she was anxious about, as well as her impending death which seemed more likely now at a kidney function of 20% but her pride was still getting in the way as usual. Peter was helping her every weekend when he was lying to his girlfriend that he was helping one of his alchy mates on that program he lied about, Carla was thankful that she didn’t have the extra strain of doing the chores as well as being in Peter's company for the weekend. Peter managed to come up with some extensive lie so that he could be in Carla's company for a week to give them the opportunity to get married in peace without him leaving her.

"Today's the day" Carla whispers stretching her limbs alongside Peter's body, he smiled running a hand up and down her back to comfort her, he then kissed her gently on the forehead

"It is, are you excited?"

"Very, I can't wait to be Carla Barlow again"

"Hmm good now how about I nip into to town and grab some breakfast from that bakery by the pier, then you can get ready whilst I'm out?"

"Alright, I'll take my medication don’t worry" Carla smiles slightly as Peter nods kissing her forehead again and sliding out of bed to get dressed into come casual clothes as well as getting his suit out of the suitcase he brought with him and hanging it up on the door of the room, Carla smiling at the thought of greeting her at the altar later on today

"Do you want anything from in town?"

"Umm I don’t think so, just breakfast then, and I'll do my makeup" 

"You" he points to her "don’t need makeup, you're beautiful without"

"Cheesy"

"Well I think today is going to be a day for cheesiness don’t you?" he teases slightly Carla glaring him at the possibility of his vows being cringeworthy, she was starting to panic in case she as doing the wrong thing, marrying Peter, the last time it didn’t work, who was to say it would this time? Not many people would have faith in her right now but she knew this was the right thing to do, she wanted to be with Peter, she needed to be with Peter, this was what was right for her at this moment, to be filled with love and kindness as well as the gentleness and passion Peter had, it was a welcome mix into her mundane life.

"It better not be" she scoffs "I've put time and effort into my vows"

"So have I, don’t worry, I was only teasing, now I will be back in a bit, try not to do anything too strenuous please" Peter kisses her softly on the lips, Carla smiling into the kiss causing Peter to weave a hand through her hair, Carla shuffling back down into bed, their lips still connected, Carla pulling Peter on top of her

"We can do some of that tonight, you need to get ready" Peter smiles pecking her on lips as she grins sliding out of bed to her vanity unit and rummaging through her makeup, deciding she would make her makeup really basic, just a flick of black eyeliner, lashings of mascara and some nude lipstick she may even push the boat out and use some dull coloured eyeshadow to compliment her skin tone, albeit a little paler than before. Carla went about doing her makeup, Peter appearing from the doorway having been in to town, he smiled at Carla's attention to detail when doing her makeup, the eyeliner making her eyes glow as well as the smoky browns of her eyeshadow bringing out the green colour of her eyes, she smiles when he kissed her on the head, presenting her with a paper bag, a Danish pastry inside, she smiled at his thoughtfulness taking a bite, she just wanted to be sick but she ate it all, he smiled at her knowing how difficult it was for her to eat in general, he took his suit and headed off into the bathroom to get changed, he appeared and Carla smiled, playing with his tie making sure it was perfect he then grabbed her dress for her and handed it to her, she went into the bathroom to change into the white dress she had, the top of the dress covered in lace flowing into the long sleeves of the dress which were also sheer with lace, the skirt, tight fitting around her hips which accentuated an hour-glass like figure and then flowed towards her ankles, the lace from the top embroidered in with the sheer tulle top-layer of the skirt draped over the satin tight-fitting skirt, she smiled in the full-length mirror, this dress was truly stunning she thought.

"Wow" Peter raises his eyebrows with a gasp, Carla blushing slightly under his intense gaze "You look…"

"Like I'm about to die?"

"No…beautiful, you look beautiful and I can't wait to be your husband"

"We should get going…" 

Carla and Peter headed into town to the registry office. Carla got a couple people she knew to be witnesses of their marriage. Peter was at the alter and he was very nervous, he wondered what it would be like if his family were whether they would be ripping into him for marrying into Carla, he knew her family would be so this is why they had to do it in secret it was right for both of them, especially with their baggage. Carla walked down the aisle to the generic music which the registry office used at short notice. Peter smiled in awe at the beautiful human being walking towards him, he sighed at how contradictory this situation was, the start of their new life, laced with her possible death but he didn’t regret it, not for the world. 

Both of them were hardly surprised at how smoothly the ceremony of four people went. Their marriage was sealed and both Carla and Peter couldn’t be more happier with the results. Peter drove Carla back to the house she smiled as he opening the passenger door for her to get up, taking her hand he led her into the house and that was when their lips collided in passionate fury, Carla's artificial bouquet being dropped the ground, Peter's hand in her hair as she smiled into the kiss her tongue pressing along the seam of his lips he dragged her upstairs her giggle radiating from her lips in amusement of his neediness, he pushed her tenderly up against the wall of the hallway, Carla tugging at his shirt desperate to feel his skin against hers, he moved his lips to her collarbone, planting wet little kisses along it Carla moaning slightly in response to the actions Peter was doing with his tongue, Peter smiled opening the bedroom door then closing it again, he fondled with the zip on her dress pulling down allowing her to step out of it which she took great pleasure in doing, she then took his tie off, followed by his shirt she planted kisses along his chest before tugging at the belt on his trousers, she grinned up at him, Peter clad in his boxers. He lifted her up, Carla wrapping her legs instinctively around his middle, he turned her around placing her on the bed taking time to appreciate the very suggestive lingerie she had on, he smiled, tracing his finger along the hem of her underwear, her skin twitching in reaction to the teasing

"If you get tired, tell me ok?"

"I will, now please stop teasing"

"Your wish is my command"

And with that Peter had her knickers and bra off, he cupped her breasts in his hands and ran his hands over the curves of her body, both of them coming to rest on her hips, Carla wrapping her legs around his middle, his hands moving to her folds, dragging his fingers through them as she jerks in response, low moans being emitted from her dusky pink lips, some lipstick still remaining there from earlier, he applies pressure to her clit, moving his finger around the base, fluttering over the top of it then around his again causing her eyes to flutter shut at the intensity of the impulses of pleasure coursing through her body, she sighed lustfully, Peter pushing a few fingers into her entrance causing her to moan loudly, Peter whispering lovingly into her ear as her eyes open briefly before fluttering shut again as her body trembles around his, Carla releasing onto his hand, she sighed after, Peter leaning down to kiss her on the lips, she accepts, allowing his tongue to explore her mouth again, he spread her legs apart, Peter running his hand base to tip, stimulating his cock into hardness before plunging himself into her, she gasped, Carla's head tilting back in sheer pleasure, Peter holding her body into place as he thrusts wildly into her.

"Yes!" 

"I love you, you're so beautiful when you're in this state"

And with that, Carla released again her juices lubricating a path for Peter to reach his impending orgasm, he did, slamming his load into her, Carla whimpering at the sensation of his juices mingled with hers, Peter's body collapsing onto hers, Peter still inside of her as they recover from the antics which went on in this room, he slid out of Carla and rolled off her, holding her body from behind, her eyes fluttered open to see Peter's loving look, she hooked her leg over his hip pulling him in closer so she could feel the heat radiating off him, she sighed, Peter running a hand through her hair

"Screw kidney disease, you'll end up being the death of me tonight" 

"Hmm well I intend to after that session, am I expecting more of that tonight then?"

"You may well be" she muses "I can't believe we're married"

"Me neither, but you know what the registrar said, in sickness and in health"

"Definitely sickness though isn't it?" she giggles slightly as Peter sighs before rolling his eyes, shifting Carla up the bed with him, sliding under the covers to keep warm

"I guess so, look I know you don’t want to hear it, especially on today of all days but please will you speak to your family, I beg you, you could save so much hassle…"

"I want to, I do but…I don’t know something's there stopping me, I just need to be ready"

"But what if you're never ready, and it's too late, I don’t want that I want you to live not die" Peter replies emotionally, tears falling down his face, Carla's heart melting at how much he cared, maybe it was time to tell the family about her impending death

"Oh, baby…I didn’t realise you felt that way…I feel bad now for being stubborn but I don’t know how you're meant to tell family members that you're dying, it's stressful"

"I know I just…I'm not pressuring you, I would ever do that and if you don’t want to its fine but please just think about it, I want you to live"

"I might be able to live though…with the experimental treatment abroad…"

"Carla, it's experimental for a reason, the success rates aren't exactly great"

"I know ok? I'm scared, so scared, but I can't help but think it was fate" she sighs, knowing this was the prime time to get things off her chest, Peter looking at her with a panicked expression knowing she was most likely going to reveal something very deep which Peter wasn't exactly looking forward to, he was going to support her though, as a friend and as her husband, the gold wedding band on both their finger's proving it

"Carla how could you think that, you are loved by so many people, your family, me…"

"I just feel so weak Peter, I can't do this on my own, I can't put on that front anymore and I'm scared"

"Oh baby, I'm so sorry this has happened" Peter sighs sadly bringing her into his body as she cries softly, the reality starting to set in for her

"I think I need to speak to Aidan and Kate don’t I?"

"I think you do, yes…I don’t mind-"

"No Peter, they cannot find out about us otherwise they will refuse to give me a kidney, I know that sounds greedy but it's the truth and if I do go back you need to know that the arrangement will be that you can't communicate with me in the street unless we go out of the area and it's agreed prior"

"That's fine, don’t get stressed out about it, why don’t you speak to Roy or someone about going back?"

"Yeah I might do, I don’t want to make any decisions yet though, I just want to enjoy your company"

"So, rest of the day in bed?"

"Rest of the day in bed"


	13. Chapter 13

Think of this as an epilogue I guess, I didn’t really know how to end this one…

December 2017

Being married for two months was something Carla would never have dreamed of at this point in time, especially to Peter Barlow considering the way they left things back in 2014. She got up made her way gingerly down the stairs to take her medication for the day and that's when she got the call which, at this point in time, she didn’t know would change her life. Sauntering over to her landline phone, she picked the phone up out of the dock in trepidation seeing Aidan's name plastered across the screen, she sighed and answered the call, with both nerves and excitement, one from hearing from her family as well as wondering if Peter spilled the beans about their marriage, nerves was definitely the latter reason.

"Aidan"

"Carla, I need your help, you're my last hope"

"Not now Aidan"

"Please Carla, meet me at your local pub, I'll text you"

"Whatever Aidan, I'm not making any promises"

She ended the call, immediately dialling Peter's number to ask for advice but she didn’t get an answer. She busied herself getting ready throwing on some dark clothes to match the mood as well making sure her wedding and engagement ring were securely on her ring finger, she smiled at the feeling which erupted at the pit of her stomach and the fact she would get Peter to herself one day when she had enough for her treatment, it excited her and caused her to have butterflies then she remembered she needed to check her accounts. Carla sat in the study of her house opening her laptop to check her bank account seeing there was almost enough for her treatment abroad, she was excited to tell Peter, no, ecstatic, this way they could live together in harmony but nothing stayed that way for long did it?

And that was that, she was on her way to her local pub five hours later from when Aidan phoned her. She sighed, wishing she could enjoy a small tipple of red but right now her health was more important and that was when she saw him, hunched over in what seemed to be stress, over his drink making her approach with a subtle smile on her face, her leopard print coat and leather handbag. She sat and listened to the copious amount of information Aidan had told her, she sighed in response wondering how it became that she was seen more as a bank than as a sister. She wasn’t ready to have the confidence to go back to her roots right now. Not whilst her death loomed over her waiting to bite at any moment. She was definitely confused but at the end of the day, the support would be there from her husband and that was how Carla Connor and Peter Barlow become man and wife, but little did they know that her impending death and the lies of the marriage was just the beginning of more hate and happiness to come.


End file.
